Department for Transport

Roads: Weather

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of winter maintenance readiness on the road network.

Andrew Jones: As in previous winters the Department for Transport is working closely with the transport sector to ensure that they are prepared for winter. All key transport operators, including local highway authorities and Highways England, have winter contingency plans in place. In addition, I recently wrote to the leaders of all local highway authorities in England reminding them of their responsibilities regarding preparation for winter and the need for robust contingency plans in place to mitigate against any significant weather we may encounter over the winter period, including snow and ice and flooding.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of (a) cars and (b) HGVs using the Dartford Crossing in the last 10 years.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England only holds data for vehicles using the Dartford Crossing (during the charging hours of 06.00 hrs to 22.00 hrs) from April 2010 to October 2016. There is no data available prior to April 2010. The total number of cars and HGVs for this period is shown in the following tables: Where data for the full year is available:  2011-2015 Northbound and Southbound*2011201220132014 2015Number of Cars30,438,13529,658,82528,942,51829,222,66931,168,494Number of HGV’s**4,863,4814,850,7454,867,1985,010,7625,395,963Total Crossings44,694,78043,851,12243,267,15644,366,50046,660,250 Where data for part of the year is available: 2010: Data for 9 months: April to December 2010 only Northbound and Southbound* 2010Number of Cars23,659,574Number of HGV’s*3,611,600Total Crossings34,265,357 2016: Data for 10 months: January to October 2016 only Northbound and Southbound* 2016Number of Cars26,681,951Number of HGV’s**4,763,703Total Crossings40,316,552 *crossings combined**Multi-axle Goods Vehicles

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions in the last 12 months the Dartford Crossing has been closed; and what the cause was of each such closure.

Mr John Hayes: The Dartford Crossing consists of two northbound tunnels and the southbound Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. In the last 12 month period there were a total of 14 occasions when the crossing was fully closed either northbound or southbound. There were six bridge closures (four due to high winds, one due to a police led incident and one due to a suicide), four tunnel closures (one due to problems with the Traffic Safety System, one due to problems with the reporting tool for fire safety and two due to car fires) and four closures of the carriageway leading up to the crossing due to police led incidents.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) cars and (b) HGVs that will use the Dartford Crossing in the next (i) year, (ii) five years and (iii) 10 years.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England is continuously reviewing the performance of the Dartford Crossing following the introduction of the Dart Charge scheme in 2014 and as part of the wider strategic road network. As part of its options works for the Lower Thames Crossing, Highways England carried out a traffic modelling assessment and traffic flow forecasts were produced for the Dartford Crossing for the next (iii) 10 years, until 2025 (the proposed scheme opening year), and 2041 (the scheme design year) as set out in the consultation materials. This included the number of light vehicles (cars) and heavy goods vehicles. The annual average daily traffic flow at the Dartford Crossing is forecast to rise from 140,000 vehicles in 2014 to 159,300 vehicles in 2025. Of this daily total 130,700 are (a) light vehicle and 28,600 and (b) heavy goods vehicles.

M25

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate how many vehicles per day using all or part of the M25 between junctions 3 and 29 in an anticlockwise direction joined the M25/A282 (a) before junction 2, (b) at junction 2, (c) at junction 1b, (d) at junction 1a and (e) at junction 30; and in each such case how many such vehicles left the M25/A282 (i) at junction 2, (ii) at junction 1a, (iii) at junction 31, (iv) at junction 30 and (v) after junction 30.

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate how many vehicles per day using all or part of the M25 between junctions 29 and 3 in a clockwise direction joined the M25 (a) before junction 30, (b) at junction 30, (c) at junction 31, (d) at junction 1a, (e) at junction 1b and (f) at junction 2; and in each such case how many of those vehicles left (i) at junction 30, (ii) at junction 1a, (iii) at junction 1b, (iv) at junction 2 and (v) after junction 2.

Mr John Hayes: This information is not held.The Department produces estimates of the number of vehicles per day using the main carriageway between motorway junctions (but not when they join and leave), available at the following link:http://www.dft.gov.uk/traffic-counts/index.php.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the monthly volume of vehicles using the Dartford River Crossing is in each direction for the last 12 months for which information is available by toll-tariff categories.

Mr John Hayes: Based on data collated using the Dart Charge service, the average monthly volume of vehicles using the Dartford River Crossing is 1,986,584 for the northbound and 2,014,834 southbound. The attached tables shows the volume of vehicles using the crossing (when the charges apply) between 6am and 10pm every day, including Christmas and other bank holidays.



053925 - Tables showing volumes of vehicles
(Word Document, 14.57 KB)

Roads: Dartford

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the predicted effect on congestion and uninterrupted free-flowing traffic on the M25/A282 at Dartford of (a) Option C and (b) A14 proposals for a Lower Thames Crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of crossings at (a) the Dartford River Crossing and (b) a Lower Thames Crossing (i) before and (ii) after the construction of a Lower Thames Crossing to be categorised as (A) local, (B) region, (C) long-distance, (D) national and (E) international for each option under consideration for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England does not hold the data for the specific dates that you have requested. Highways England carried out traffic modelling as part of the appraisal process for the Lower Thames Crossing. Modelling was conducted for the years 2025 and 2041. The categorisation of crossings was for the current use of the Dartford Crossing and was categorised into local, regional and long-distance traffic. The appraisal and data was available as part of the materials to inform public consultation held earlier this year. Analysis is ongoing to better understand the categorisation of traffic flows and traffic modelling as part of the wider analysis of the 47,034 responses to the public consultation that took place earlier this year. Highways England will be reporting findings and a recommendation to the Department for Transport. The Secretary of State for Transport will take a decision on the location, route and type of crossing in due course.

Electric Vehicles

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2016 to Question 53161, what steps he is taking to ensure that the electrical vehicle chargepoint network has the capacity to meet future demand; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Distribution Network Operators forecast the likely uptake of plug-in electric vehicles, in discussion with Government, in order to shape their investment plans. The Government is also working with the industry on the potential for electric vehicle charging to flex to grid capacity as well as considering standards for responsive charging infrastructure. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has also issued a Call for Evidence on broader measures to ensure a smarter use of energy across sectors. In terms of the size of the chargepoint network, the Autumn Statement announced further capital funding for low emission vehicles, including £80 million for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints were made to his Department or Highways England on congestion at the Dartford Crossing in the last 12 months.

Mr John Hayes: The number of complaints regarding congestion made to Highways England, who operates and manages the Dartford Crossing, in the last 12 months is 869.

A282: Accidents

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicle accidents on the A282 were registered by Highways England in the last 12 months.

Mr John Hayes: There were 487 Road Traffic Collisions (injury and non-injury) registered by Highways England on the A282 from 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016. This only includes incidents that the Highways England Traffic Officer Service had an awareness of or involvement in.

Blackwall Tunnel

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed tolling of the Blackwall Tunnel on traffic levels using the Dartford Crossing.

Mr John Hayes: None. This is primarily a matter for Transport for London (TfL), which has considered it in some detail as part of its plans for the proposed new Silvertown tunnel. TfL has undertaken a detailed assessment of the transport impacts of the proposed new tunnel as part of the Development Consent Order (DCO) application that it has submitted for the scheme. This assessment includes consideration of the impacts on traffic flows locally and more widely of tolling both the new tunnel and the existing Blackwall tunnel. In short, it concludes that the impact of the tolling of both the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels on the performance of the Dartford Crossing is expected to be negligible. The complete transport assessment can be found at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010021/TR010021-000221-6.5%20Transport%20Assessment.pdf

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the designated monthly capacity of the existing Dartford River Crossing is in each direction.

Mr John Hayes: The designated capacity of the Dartford Crossing northbound is 65,000 vehicles and southbound is 70,000 vehicles a day. These figures are calculated by day, as the number of days in a month fluctuates.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times per month traffic is stopped at the Dartford River Crossing to allow crossing control vehicles to escort hazardous vehicles through the tunnels for each of the last 12 months for which information is available; and what estimate he has made of the number of escorts per month that will be required following the construction of a Lower Thames Crossing by each crossing option currently under consideration for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Mr John Hayes: The total number of occasions where traffic was stopped at the Dartford Tunnel Crossing to allow crossing control vehicles to escort hazardous vehicles in the last 12 months are as follows: Nov-15Dec-15Jan-16Feb-16Mar-16Apr-16230624102410234025372238May-16Jun-16Jul-16Aug-16Sep-16Oct-16223021972248214419201932 It is important to note however that when possible Highways England will escort hazardous vehicles when the tunnel is already closed to remove oversize vehicles from the carriageway, avoiding the need for additional closures. Such occasions are included in the above figures. Highways England ensures that every opportunity to escort hazardous vehicles, without the need for additional closures, is utilised. The Lower Thames Crossing has not yet modelled the potential reduction in the number of escorted vehicles per day. This is something which would be part of future work.

River Thames: Bridges

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures are being considered to reduce congestion at Dartford (a) before and (b) after the construction of a Lower Thames Crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Studies regarding traffic congestion near the Dartford Crossing about A282 junctions 1a, 1b and M25 junction 2 have been completed to see what improvements could be made and these studies have informed the package of local improvements that is now being carried out by Highways England and Kent County Council. At junction 1a, yellow box markings have been added and the traffic signal timings have been optimised. Signal timing reviews at junctions 1b and 2 should be completed by the end of December 2016. In addition, journey time sensors are now being installed on the approaches to Dartford to improve the information being given to drivers and to improve the management of traffic to ease congestion more quickly. These measures are designed to improve local traffic flow at these junctions. The whole package of works is due to be completed by December 2017. Highways England will continue to look for ways to improve traffic flows at the Crossing and on the surrounding network. For the period from 2020 and beyond, the Government is looking at what further measures can be taken. This is being considered through the current round of the Route Strategy Studies, which will inform road investment priorities for 2020 – 2025 and beyond.

River Thames: Bridges

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether contingency measures have been considered to reduce congestion at Dartford if the construction of a Lower Thames Crossing does not reduce congestion at Dartford; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Work is ongoing to analyse the traffic flows and traffic modelling in relation to the Lower Thames Crossing scheme as part of further development of the proposals. Highways England is continuously reviewing the performance of the Dartford Crossing following the introduction of the Dart Charge scheme in 2014 and as part of the wider strategic road network. As part of the Roads Investment Strategy, Highways England is continuing to invest in other local improvements to the A282/M25 corridor which includes the Dartford Crossing.

Transport: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to announce any further successful bids to the latest competition round of the Local Majors Fund in addition to those announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 transport projects policy paper.

Andrew Jones: The Secretary of State has today announced the remaining successful bids from the current round of the Large Local Majors Fund. The full list of successful schemes, including those announced in the Autumn Statement is as follows:- Suffolk Energy Gateway new roadA1079/A164 Jocks Lodge JunctionShrewsbury North West Relief RoadTees Valley East-West connectionsSheffield Mass Transit SchemeWarrington Waterfront western linkSheffield City Region Innovation CorridorManchester Metrolink airport extension to Terminal 2Melton Mowbray Eastern Distributor RoadNew Tees CrossingA500 Dualling (Cheshire)South Coventry Link Road

Exhaust Emissions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) funding and (b) date of announcement of each project already allocated funding for promoting the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles; and with reference to paragraph 4.6 of the Autumn Statement 2016, which such projects will receive that additional funding.

Mr John Hayes: At the Spending Review 2015 the Chancellor announced funding of more than £600m to support the uptake and manufacturing of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the UK. Current initiatives drawing on this funding include:Plug-in Car Grant – £400m announced 17 December 2015Plug-in Van Grant – £4m additional funding announced 23 October 2016Plug-in Motorcycle Grant – £3.75m announced 13 October 2016Low Emission Bus Scheme – £30m announced 25 July 2016Ultra Low Emission Taxi Scheme – £20m announced 23 July 2015Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Fleet Support Scheme – £2m announced 10 May 2016Public Sector Fleets ULEV Readiness Scheme – £5m announced 13 January 2015Go Ultra Low City Scheme – £40m announced 25 January 2016Go Ultra Low communications campaign – ongoingElectric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme – £15m announced 26 February 2015Workplace Charging Scheme – £7.5m announced 13 October 2016On-street Residential Charging Scheme – £2.5m announced 13 October 2016Hydrogen Refuelling Stations – £6.6m announced 27 March 2015 Funding is also being deployed to support the research and development of innovative low emission vehicle technologies in the UK.‎At the Autumn Statement 2016 the Chancellor announced new funding of £270m to support ultra low emission vehicles. This will provide £150m additional funding for clean buses and taxis, £80m additional funding for charging infrastructure, and £40m additional funding for the Plug-in Car Grant. Further details of Government’s continued support for the sector will be announced in due course.

Transport: Greater Manchester

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.15 of the Autumn Statement 2016, what powers he intends to devolve to Greater Manchester relating to future transport funding; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The Government is already devolving significant transport funding and powers to Greater Manchester through its Devolution Deals. No decisions have yet been taken about what further devolution may be possible.

Alternative Fuels

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 4.6 of the Autumn Statement 2016, what guidance his Department plans to publish on the development of alternative aviation fuels and heavy goods vehicle fuels; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The £20 million to be made available through the National Productivity Investment Fund will be designed to leverage private sector investment to help develop and commercialise alternative fuels which can reduce the carbon impact of aviation and heavy goods vehicles and capitalise on the industrial opportunities for growth and jobs. More details will be provided in due course. We will consult shortly on proposals for amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order including supporting the use of alternative fuels in aviation and heavy goods vehicles. We will also shortly publish our review of options to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the road freight sector.

Great Western Railway Line: Railway Signals

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how much of the £450 million funding for trialling digital signalling technology to expand capacity and improve reliability will be allocated to improving signalling on the Great Western line from Paddington to Cornwall.

Paul Maynard: At the 2016 Autumn Statement, Government announced £450 million to trial innovative digital rail signalling technology to increase capacity and reliability on our railways. A range of schemes are being considered and the exact location and scope will be announced in due course.

Bridges: River Thames

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether traffic flow forecasting and associated modelling in relation to proposals for a Lower Thames Crossing have been based on toll charges at a Lower Thames Crossing being (a) higher, (b) lower or (c) the same as toll charges at the existing Dartford River Crossing.

Mr John Hayes: Traffic flow forecasting and associated modelling in relation to proposals for the Lower Thames Crossing have been based on charges at a Lower Thames Crossing being the same as the road user charges at the existing Dartford River Crossing. The modelling that informed proposals for the Lower Thames Crossing public consultation held earlier this year was based on the charges being the same as those charged at present at the Dartford River Crossing.

Railways: South East

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the £1.1 billion announced for English transport networks in the 2016 Budget he plans will be spent on rail projects in the South East.

Paul Maynard: At Autumn Statement 2016, the Chancellor announced £1.1bn for local roads in England. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has today set out further details of this funding. The Chancellor also announced £110m for East West Rail in order to improve connections between some of the fastest growing economies of the South East. Finally, £450m was announced for investment in railway digital signalling and £80m to accelerate the rollout of smart ticketing, across the country with further details to be announced in due course.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to maintain the UK's participation in the European Air Safety Agency's work on certifying aircraft, aircraft engines and other related products for safety to exports after the UK has left the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising for our aviation industry from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency system. Until we leave, EU law will continue to apply to the UK, alongside national rules.

Department for Communities and Local Government

EU Grants and Loans

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities about their future access to European Structural Funding.

Andrew Percy: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has confirmed to local authority representatives the government's commitment to continued access to the European Structural and Investment Funds up to the point the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. There is regular discussion about using these Funds to support projects that deliver growth and jobs at national and local partnership meetings, which local authority members participate fully in.

Affordable Housing

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of affordable homes to (a) rent and (b) buy since 2010.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes for social rent were started in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2015-16.

Gavin Barwell: The numbers of social rent dwellings recorded as started by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority are published in Live Table 1012:www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supplyThe numbers of private registered provider and local authority dwellings for the period are available in Live Table 100:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacantsNotes:Dwellings owned by private registered providers and local authoritiesStock at 1 AprilThe numbers of affordable homes to buy provided by private registered providers and local authorities in each year are available in live table 1000:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Homelessness

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of statutory homeless households between 2009-10 and 2015-16.

Mr Marcus Jones: Homelessness acceptances remain less than half the 2003-4 peak, but one person without a home is still one too many. That is why we have protected £315 million for local authority homelessness prevention funding, and secured £139 million central government funding in this Parliament.We have a strong homelessness safety net, but we want to go further by putting prevention at the heart of our approach to tackling homelessness. We are therefore supporting Bob Blackman MP’s Private Members’ Bill. The Homelessness Reduction Bill will significantly reform England’s homelessness legislation, ensuring that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homelessness in the first place.The statutory homelessness statistics are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness

Floods: Finance

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to allocate funding to parish councils for flood damage resulting from floods in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: Government does not allocate funding directly to parish councils. The government acted quickly to allocate funding to unitary and upper tier local authorities to enable them to tailor and pass on support to their communities, households and businesses to help them recover from the impacts of the floods in 2015. It was for the upper tier authorities to decide how most effectively to work with, and disburse funds to, the district and parish councils in their area.

Local Government: Devolution

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to bring forward a framework for devolution within England.

Andrew Percy: The Government has adopted a bottom-up and iterative approach to agreeing devolution deals. Local leaders, Local Enterprise Partnerships and other key local stakeholders develop proposals that meet the needs of their area. This locally-led approach ensures that devolution is targeted to deliver local priorities and provides a real opportunity for areas to take greater control of their future.

Local Government: Devolution

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities and combined authorities are in discussion with his Department for devolution deals due to be announced in the next round.

Andrew Percy: The Government has adopted a bottom-up and iterative approach to agreeing devolution deals. This allows local areas to develop devolution proposals through the basis of local consent and dialogue. The Government is open to working with any area on proposals that include strong and accountable governance arrangements.

Local Government Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Final local government finance settlement 2016-17, published on 8 February 2016, from what budget the planned transitional grant for 2016-17 will be drawn.

Mr Marcus Jones: It is funding which comes from within the departmental DEL budgets.

Waste Disposal: Dorset

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Dorset Waste Partnership does not charge householders for the disposal of waste arising from DIY projects.

Mr Marcus Jones: In 2015 the government introduced legislation to prevent local authorities from charging their residents to dispose of household waste at household waste recycling centres. Recently updated guidance on these centres, prepared by the charity WRAP, classifies DIY waste as household waste if it results from work a householder would normally carry out. The government supports that position.

Land: Contamination

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential effect of the removal of Part 2A contaminated land funding on the budgets of local councils.

Mr Marcus Jones: As Minister for Local Government I engage with colleagues in government on a range of issues which affect councils across England.Although DEFRA’s Contaminated Land Capital Grant has ended, funding for local authorities to meet their duty under Part 2a of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 continues to be provided through the local government finance settlement.

Economic Growth: Midlands

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the Midlands Engine.

Andrew Percy: As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor at Autumn Statement, we will shortly publish a Midlands Engine Strategy.This will include £392 million from our Local Growth Fund for the Midlands Engine Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Community Relations

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage community cohesion.

Sajid Javid: As Communities Secretary, I’m proud this is a country where 89% of people view their local area as a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together.Since 2010, we have invested £60 million on community integration programmes.Building on this, during Inter Faith week this month, we announced a further £250,000 for ‘The Common Good’ fund. This will bring even more communities together to tackle intolerance.

Derelict Land: Public Sector

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time, cost and complexity of processes to bring redundant publicly owned land back into use.

Gavin Barwell: This Government has a target to release land with capacity for 160,000 homes by 2020 and is encouraging local authorities to do the same.The Government has recently announced £1.7 billion of investment for an Accelerated Construction programme that will enable us to get started on up to 15,000 homes by the end of this Parliament.Planning reforms, including Permission in Principle and Brownfield Registers, will deliver a more efficient planning system.

Local Growth Deals

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to extend devolution deals across England.

Andrew Percy: This Government’s current focus is on ensuring the successful delivery of the existing devolution deals in places across England.The Government remains open to devolution proposals from local areas that include plans for strong and accountable governance arrangements.

Housing: Construction

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support the role of local communities in the design of new housing developments.

Gavin Barwell: We have introduced reforms to enable local communities to produce statutory Neighbourhood Plans. These Plans empower communities to shape the areas in which they live and future developments.

Dementia: Home Care Services

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the adequacy of the level of dementia training for homecare workers.

Mr Marcus Jones: By 2020, this government expects social care providers to provide appropriate training on dementia to all relevant staff, and over 100,000 social care workers have already received such training.Since April 2015, newly appointed health care assistants and social care support workers receive training through the implementation of the Care Certificate.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Energy

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment the Government has made of progress towards its 2020 renewable target in the (a) heat and (b) transport sectors.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 21 November 2016



The 2020 renewable energy target requires the UK to achieve 15% of final energy consumption from renewables by the end of this decade. This requires action to promote renewables in electricity generation, heating and transport. There is a binding 10% sub-target of transport fuels from renewable sources.Our most recent report to the European Commission, published on 21 January 2016, sets out progress in renewables deployment over 2013 and 2014 across heating and cooling, transport and electricity sectors. We reported beating our target and reaching 6.3% of final energy consumption from renewables for 2013 and 2014 against an interim target of 5.4%.We are making good progress towards the next interim target of an average of 7.47% of energy from renewables across 2015 and 2016. In 2015 8.3% of energy came from renewable sources.

Magnox: Redundancy Pay

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support Magnox workers affected by the redundancy cap.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 23 November 2016



The public sector exit payments cap, as introduced by the Enterprise Act 2016, will apply to organisations classified as within the public sector by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), implementing the manifesto commitment made in April 2015. As Magnox is classified by the ONS as a public sector organisation and receives a significant amount of funding from the Exchequer, it is within the scope of the reforms.The Government is aware of the particular context that Site Licence Companies operate in, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority utilises redeployment and retraining opportunities in redundancy situations across its estate where it is appropriate to do so.The regulations that will implement the cap are currently being drafted, and the Government will publically release both guidance and regulations for comment before the regulations are laid in Parliament.

Nuclear Power: Redundancy Pay

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential savings to the public purse of Magnox and other nuclear workers' pension schemes being included in the public sector redundancy cap.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 23 November 2016



The potential savings from applying the public sector exit payment cap across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate will depend on the number and type of exits from Site Licence Companies, including Magnox Ltd, in the future. It is therefore not possible to put a precise figure on these savings.

Business: Oldham

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what access to finance support is available to businesses in Oldham.

Margot James: The British Business Bank is working to make it easier for businesses across the UK, including Oldham, to access the finance they need to start and grow. British Business Bank programmes are currently supporting almost £3.2 billion of finance to more than 51,000 smaller businesses and are participating in a further £4.6 billion of finance to small mid-cap businesses right across the UK, including Oldham. The Bank’s Business Finance Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the financing options available to businesses, from start-up to growth.At Autumn Statement 2015, my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an agreement between the British Business Bank and Local Enterprise Partnerships in the North, which also covers Oldham, to create a Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund of over £400m. This Fund will produce greater levels of investment, increase the focus on the potential opportunities across the Northern Powerhouse regions and provide increased flexibility in the type of funding provided across the North. The Fund is expected to go live in early February 2017.Businesses in Oldham have access to export finance advice. UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, offers finance and insurance to help UK-based exporters of all sizes and across all sectors win, fulfil and get paid for overseas sales, ensuring that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance. UKEF’s North West based-Export Finance Advisers can help introduce Oldham businesses with who export or who have export potential to finance providers, credit insurers, insurance brokers, trade support bodies and sources of government support.Businesses in Oldham also have access to one of thirty nine growth hubs across England that provide local access to business advice, support and sources of finance. The Greater Manchester Growth Hub provides free and impartial advice to help local businesses wanting to raise funds. The GOV.UK website hosts a Business Finance & Support Finder Tool which helps local businesses find sources of finance and the Business Support Helpline also provides help and support to businesses.

Housing: Insulation

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department has published on the (a) number and (b) names of cavity wall insulation providers who have received government funding.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department takes to ensure that government funding to cavity wall insulation providers is spent as intended.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how and by what criteria he evaluates the effectiveness of the spending of government grants to cavity wall insulation providers.

Jesse Norman: There are no current government grant schemes for cavity wall insulation. However cavity wall insulation can be installed under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). ECO requires large energy suppliers to deliver a range of energy efficiency measures, including cavity wall insulation, to eligible households. Ofgem E-Serve administers ECO. They are responsible for allocating proportionate carbon and bill saving targets to the obligated suppliers. They also carry out audits and ensure measures reported are compliant with the ECO rules. Cavity wall insulation providers may receive funding from ECO-covered energy suppliers, where they have a commercial contract with them to install insulation. BEIS does not collect information on the companies with whom energy suppliers contract, but the work done must adhere to agreed industry standards as set out in the Publically Available Specification (PAS2030). The installation of cavity wall insulation is within the scope of the Each Home Counts Review, an independent review being carried out by Dr Peter Bonfield on consumer advice, protection, standards and enforcement for home energy efficiency and renewable energy measures in the UK. The Review is expected to be published soon. ECO-covered suppliers determine what is cost-effective to deliver, balancing upfront costs compared to lifetime carbon or fuel cost savings achieved. The measures delivered, suppliers’ progress towards their ECO targets and the costs they incur under ECO are collected by BEIS (and published in the department’s Household Energy Efficiency National Statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-november-2016 (Table 2.8)), allowing the department to measure the cost effectiveness of the scheme over time.

Green Investment Bank

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential revenue to be obtained from the proposed sale of Green Investment Bank shares.

Margot James: The Government has set out its plans for the sale of the Green Investment Bank in the document “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016. One of the primary objectives of the sale is to achieve value for money for the taxpayer. The revenue from the sale will depend on the outcome of discussions with investors, which are commercially confidential at this stage.

Green Investment Bank

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what stake the Government plans to retain in the Green Investment Bank.

Margot James: The Government has set out its plans for the sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in the document “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016. As stated in that document, Government intends to sell a majority of GIB, with the final size of the stake in GIB to be sold depending on the outcome of confidential commercial discussions with investors and driven by what best achieves our objectives for the sale, particularly ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Green Investment Bank

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he expects the sale of shares in the Green Investment Bank to be completed.

Margot James: The Government launched the sale process on 3 March 2016 and expects it to be complete before the end of the financial year.

Green Investment Bank

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment criteria are being applied to potential buyers of the Green Investment Bank.

Margot James: The Government has set out its plans for the sale of the Green Investment Bank in the document “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016. This includes the Governments objectives for the sale.

Post Offices

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in what areas under which spending headings the £2 billion post office transformation and modernisation fund has been spent; and how much of that funding has been spent on redundancies.

Margot James: The £2 billion Government subsidy has been provided to maintain and protect a network of at least 11,500 post offices across the country and to invest in modernisation and transformation of that network, so that it can offer the customer environments, opening hours and efficiency of operation for postmasters which are needed to succeed in the competitive mails, financial services, government services and telecom markets in which the Post Office operates. The arrangements for redundancy payments are the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter and provide the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Energy: Meters

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2016 to Question 52983, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of people using pre-payment meters.

Jesse Norman: Ofgem monitor the number of electricity and gas pre-payment meters (PPMs) installed. While most PPMs have historically been installed to repay debt, this has declined since 2013 and the most recent Ofgem report suggested there was evidence of new demand being driven by smart meters operating in pay-as-you-go mode, which is classified as PPM for these statistics.FuelTotal number of PPMs installed in 2015Total number of PPMS installed in 2015 to recover debtTotal number of PPMs installed in 2015, requested by customers without a debtElectricity327,107149,098178,009Gas348,515150,023198,492 This data is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2016/10/monitoring_social_obligations_-_2015_annual_data_report.pdf.The full Ofgem report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/domestic-suppliers-social-obligations-2015-annual-report.

Coal: Colombia

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will hold discussions with his (a) Colombian and (b) US counterpart on ending the use of child labour in the mining of coal in Colombia.

Jesse Norman: The Department is not aware of any evidence to suggest that Colombian coal that is imported to the UK is the product of child labour. On this basis it is not considered necessary for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to engage representatives from Colombia or the United States. If there is evidence to the contrary I would continue to encourage my hon. Friend to share it with Departmental officials.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Departmental Responsibilities

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many projects in operation in his Department are related to the UK's exit from the EU.

Margot James: Officials in the Department’s Europe Directorate work both on preparations for our future relationship with the EU and ongoing negotiations on ‘live’ business. The team works with the Department for Exiting the European Union and other Departments on these issues. Officials in other teams in the Department also carry out EU exit-related work as part of their broader responsibilities.

Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the UK civil and military helicopter sector.

Jesse Norman: The Government seeks to keep the UK a leading aerospace nation by continuing to work closely with the sector, including with the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and grow high value jobs, through the Governments Industrial Strategy.Through the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP), Government and industry have committed £3.9 billion for aerospace research; and through the Defence Growth Partnership (DGP), Government is supporting the UK defence sector to remove the barriers to export-led growth. While the global helicopter market currently faces challenges, civil aircraft programmes are thriving, with record order books for Rolls-Royce, Airbus and their UK supply chains, which includes GKN.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many companies were in receipt of EU research and innovation funding in (a) the UK and (b) Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson: Companies in the UK can receive research and innovation funding through two different EU programmes: Horizon 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund.Between January 2014 and September 2016 1,011 UK companies were awarded funding from Horizon 2020 with a total value of €564m. Of this total, 25 companies are from Wales who have been awarded €10m.Support for companies for Research and Innovation from the European Regional Development Fund is most often provided through intermediaries such as universities and knowledge transfer centres and it is not possible to say how many companies have received funding until projects have been completed and the outputs verified. As most projects last for about three years, it is too early to give a figure from the 2014-2020 programmes.

Post Offices: Franchises

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department monitors the accessibility of franchised post offices for people with (a) mobility impairments, (b) learning disabilities and (c) other disabilities.

Margot James: The provision of post offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter and provide the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his most recent estimate is of the number of civil servants working in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: As at 31 October 2016, there were 3,189 civil servants who were employed and working in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and being paid via our payroll.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Redundancy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff of the former Department for Energy and Climate Change have not had their contracts renewed since the creation of his Department.

Margot James: Since 14 July 2016, there have been five members of staff on Short or Fixed Term Appointments whose contracts have ended.

Cadbury: Mondelez International

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to meet any of the companies involved in the takeover of the Cadbury's biscuit licence by Mondalez/Craft.

Margot James: This is a commercial matter for the parties concerned. No such meetings are planned.

Fracking: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to undertake baseline monitoring of the health of residents living in close proximity to Cuadrilla Resources' shale gas well site at Preston New Road.

Jesse Norman: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) highlights that the first point of contact on population health and well-being issues should be the Director of Public Health (DPH), and recommends that Local Authority planners should consider consulting the DPH on any planning applications that are likely to have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the local population or particular groups within it. The role of the DPH is to provide expert advice and support, with an aim to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of the population. DPHs are able to seek expert advice and support from Public Health England in responding to such planning applications, where necessary, including support for the investigation of any pre-existing health concerns.The DPH at Lancashire County Council (LCC) commissioned a rapid health impact assessment of the shale gas exploratory stage, specifically the proposed sites at Roseacre Wood and Preston New Road, which included an assessment of the baseline health profile for residents within the Warton and Westby ward of the Fylde district.

Fracking: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to institute baseline monitoring sites for air quality in residential areas in close proximity to Cuadrilla Resources' shale gas well site at Preston New Road.

Jesse Norman: The Department currently grant-funds a research consortium led by the British Geological Survey to deliver a baseline environmental monitoring programme in and around sites in the Fylde (Lancashire) where applications for shale gas wells have been made. As a result of this programme and since January 2015, researchers have been gathering data on a number of environmental parameters including air quality. The monitoring located close to the proposed shale gas exploration site at Little Plumpton (Preston New Road) includes instrumentation to measure atmospheric composition, wind speed and direction, air temperature and relative humidity.The monitoring characterises the environmental baseline before any hydraulic fracturing takes place and enables future shale gas projects’ data to be checked against these “baseline” data, allowing any significant changes to be flagged for further scrutiny. The investigations are independent of any monitoring carried out by the industry or the regulators. The information collected is freely available to the public on the BGS website:www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shaleGas/monitoring/atmosphericComposition.html

Post Offices: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the population of (a) deprived urban and (b) other urban areas in Hull has lived within one mile of the nearest post office outlet in each year since 2009-10.

Margot James: The provision of post offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter and provide the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Employment: Females

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to run a communications campaign aimed at employers to emphasise the economic benefits of retaining women employees.

Margot James: We are currently considering recommendations from the Women and Equalities Select Committee on Government communications activity in relation to female participation in the labour market. We will respond to these recommendations shortly.The Government supports the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Working Forward Campaign, which was launched in September 2016. This national campaign, led by business, aims to make workplaces the best they can be for pregnant women and new mothers. The campaign promotes the benefits to business of attracting and retaining mothers in the workplace.

Maternity Action

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) when he last met and (b) what future meetings he has planned with representatives of Maternity Action .

Margot James: Ministers last met representatives from Maternity Action on 25 May 2016. There are no future ministerial meetings planned at present. Officials met representatives from Maternity Action in February, May and September 2016.

Renewable Energy

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made to date on meeting the Renewable Energy Directive obligation of 20 per cent renewable sourced energy by 2020; and what estimate he has made of likely progress towards that goal by 2020.

Jesse Norman: The 2020 renewable energy target requires the UK to achieve 15% of final energy consumption from renewables by the end of this decade. This requires action to promote renewables in electricity generation, heating and transport. There is a binding 10% sub-target of transport fuels from renewable sources.We have met the Directive’s interim targets, and are currently progressing in line with the trajectory set out in the Directive. We are making good progress towards the next interim target of an average of 7.47% of energy from renewables across 2015 and 2016, and in 2015 8.3% of energy came from renewable sources.

Babies

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish advice for employers on how to support parents of premature or sick babies; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: There is guidance on entitlement to different types of family related leave and pay on gov.uk and on the Acas website. This is relevant to all new parents, including those who have had a premature child, and their employers. The Acas guidance includes an on-line tool for employers which, for example, helps them manage their employees return to work. The Acas website also includes guidance for employers on good practice in managing absence, including circumstances in which staff need time off to care for premature or sick babies.

Cadbury: Mondelez International

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on jobs of the recent takeover of the licence to manufacture Cadbury's biscuits in the UK from Burton's to Mondalez/Kraft.

Margot James: This is a commercial matter for the parties concerned.

Food: Industry

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what  assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) food industry and (b) price for consumers of recent foreign takeovers in the food industry.

Margot James: Where relevant the competition impact of takeovers is examined by the independent competition authorities, the Competition and Markets Authority or European Commission.

Pregnancy: Discrimination

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will develop a cross-government strategy to reduce the incidence of pregnancy discrimination.

Margot James: Pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination in the workplace is both unlawful and unacceptable, and has no place in today’s society. That is why the Government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) jointly commissioned independent research into this issue. Officials from this Department are working with colleagues from across Government as well as external bodies to implement the actions set out in the Government’s response on 22 March 2016 to recommendations made by the EHRC. We are working with a range of partners including EHRC and Acas to promote opportunities for women, including pregnant women and new mothers; to ensure that female talent is recognised and rewarded; and to make more employers aware of their legal obligations. We are also considering the recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Select Committee and will respond shortly.

Post Offices: Repairs and Maintenance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department monitors the public funding used to refurbish Crown post offices to ensure those funds achieve the expected outcomes; and how much was spent from the public purse on refurbishing post office branches that subsequently lost Crown status in each of the last six years.

Margot James: The operation and refurbishment of its Crown post offices is the responsibility of Post Office Limited. However, the Government, in its role as shareholder, constantly monitors Post Office’s performance, which has improved significantly through Government’s investment, and has seen the Crown network move from a loss of £46m per annum to breakeven today. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter and provide further detail on the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Compensation

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Post Office has paid in compensation to sub post masters as part of the Initial Complaint Review and Mediation scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme was independent of Government, and an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the Hon Member on this matter to provide the information requested. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will prevent the PACE trial researchers from being given further public research funding until an inquiry into possible fraudulent activity into the PACE trial has been conducted.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will request that the Medical Research Council conducts an inquiry into the management of the PACE trial to ascertain whether any fraudulent activity has occurred.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 25 November 2016



Queen Mary University of London, as the research organisation which held the award, is responsible for the management of the study, including the investigation of any concerns relating to research conduct and research integrity.Whilst the Medical Research Council (MRC) was one of the funders of the PACE trial, the responsibility for the management of the trial rested with the host research institution, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). This responsibility included oversight of the trial and the investigation of any well-founded allegations of misconduct that are brought to its attention. As part of this oversight, in accordance with MRC guidance on best practice, a trial steering committee was set up and supported by various sub-groups, including a data monitoring committee. The MRC was an observer on the trial steering committee.Anyone wishing to raise concerns to over the conduct of individual researchers or research programmes is advised to contact QMUL in the first instance to allow the University to investigate appropriately. It would be inappropriate for BEIS to intervene in such investigations or to impose sanctions against researchers.

Productivity: Low Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings he has had to discuss productivity with employers in low-paid sectors in each of the last six months.

Mr Nick Hurd: Holding answer received on 25 November 2016



Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Ministers have held a number of meetings with businesses, including those in low-pay sectors, their representative organisations and other interested stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including productivity. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will be working in partnership with industry to deliver an economy which works for all and creates the conditions for competitive, world leading businesses to grow and prosper right across the UK.

Green Investment Bank

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the green purposes of the Green Investment Bank are retained after it is sold.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government has set out its plans for the sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) in the document “Green Investment Bank: sale of shares” laid before Parliament on 3 March 2016.As stated in that document, the Government has asked potential investors to confirm their commitment to GIB’s green values and investment principles and how they propose to protect them, as part of their bids for the company. In addition, the Government has approved the creation of a special share to protect GIB’s green purposes in future.

World War II

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of people who worked in munitions factories during the Second World War who are still alive.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on people who worked in munitions factories during the Second World War.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will take steps to support a medal to recognise the contribution that munitions workers made during the Second World War.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the cost of awarding a medal to people who worked in munitions factories during the Second World War.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has given careful consideration to how the valuable contribution made by former munitions workers could be formally recognised. In the last Parliament we worked with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Recognition for Munitions Workers to explore ways to ensure that the collective efforts of all those who worked in munitions factories were not forgotten, and this included a number of positive steps such as the march past of former munitions workers in the Remembrance Sunday parade in 2012. While the All Party Parliamentary Group is no longer active, we would be willing to work with any MP or group who has ideas or recommendations on how the valiant collective effort of former munitions workers could be recognised.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he expects to issue guidance on the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what delivery mechanisms the Government plans to use for the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he expects to commence the distribution of funding under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the difference has been between the salary of his Department's highest paid director and the median salary of all staff in his Department in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was created on 14 July 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) were merged to create this new department. The information requested from 2010 has therefore been broken down in to the tables below by each department.The median salaries in the tables below are published on the Office for National Statistics website every October.Salaries of highest paid senior employees are published in annual reports in bands of £5,000. Please note that as Permanent Secretaries and Director Generals are generally paid higher salaries than Directors in the civil service, the figures below reflect the highest paid employees, and not the highest paid staff in the Director grade. BIS YearMedianHighest EarnerDifference2016£38,430£180,000-£185,000£141,570-£146,5702015£38,800£160,000-£165,000£121,200-£126,2002014£37,950£160,000-£165,000£122,050-£127,0502013£37,410£160,000-£165,000£122,590-£127,5902012£35,710£160,000-£165,000£124,290-£129,2902011£34,290£185,000-£190,000£150,710-£155,7102010£33,180£185,000-£190,000£151,820-£156,820  DECC YearMedianHighest EarnerDifference2016£48,400£180,000-£185,000£131,600-£136,6002015£48,420£165,000-£170,000£116,580-£121,5802014£47,920£165,000-£170,000£117,080-£122,0802013£40,080£165,000-£170,000£124,920-£129,9202012£40,740£165,000-£170,000£124,260-£129,2602011£46,890£165,000-£170,000£118,110-£123,1102010£40,310£165,000-£170,000£124,690-£129,690

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many new applications have been made to the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme since it opened in November 2011 for (a) air-source and (b) ground and water-source heat pumps; and what the cost of that scheme has been to each government department that has incurred any such cost in each year since it began.

Jesse Norman: The following tables show the number of full applications for a) Air Source Heat Pumps and b) Ground Source Heat Pumps and Water Source Heat Pumps under the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive. The latest application data the department has is up to the end of October 2016; as such 2016 does not represent a full year of applications. Air source heat pumps201120122013201420152016Full applications00011158118Actuals and accruals---£4,033£105,918£193,233  Ground source heat pumps201120122013201420152016Full applications75492126276198Actuals and accruals£1,236£116,154£409,475£1,173,057£5,756,337£5,246,909

Wind Power: Renewables Obligation

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications were made under the renewables obligation for (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind; and what the annual cost to the public purse was of each of those subsidies between 2010 and 2016.

Jesse Norman: The number of applications approved for accreditation under the renewables obligation (RO) for onshore and offshore wind projects in the UK between the financial years 2010/11 to 2015/16 were: Technology Total number of applications for accreditation between 2010/11 and 2015/16Micro onshore wind projects up to and including 50kW capacity142Onshore wind projects above 50kW capacity590Offshore wind projects17Source: Ofgem:RO accredited stations list (downloaded 24 November 2016): https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0The costs of the RO are reclaimed from electricity consumers, not from general taxation. The annual costs of supporting onshore and offshore wind through the RO from 2010/11 to 2015/16, in £ million nominal prices were:RO costs £/million 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Onshore wind£397.8£482.6£557.1£755.6£786.8£803.0Offshore wind£253.9£371.1£698.5£988.7£1,108.0£1,429.7 Source: Ofgem:Renewables Obligation library: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/ro/contacts-publications-and-data/publications-library-renewables-obligation-roRenewables Obligation Annual Report 2014-15: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/renewables-obligation-ro-annual-report-2014-15Renewables Obligation register and compliance certificates report: https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0

Telecommunications: Competition

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department met with their counterparts in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss competition in the telecommunications sector in each of the last two years.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ministers and officials meet Department for Culture, Media and Sport colleagues to discuss issues in the telecommunications sector as required. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not routinely disclosed.

Small Businesses

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department met small businesses to discuss company law reform in each of the last two years.

Margot James: Ministers and officials meet regularly with small businesses to discuss a variety of topics.All Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012

Companies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of limited companies operating under umbrella companies on official statistics on independent entrepreneurship.

Margot James: The Department does not currently hold information on the effect of limited companies operating under umbrella companies on official statistics on independent entrepreneurship.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

South Sudan: Food

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in South Sudan on stopping armed forces destroying food reserves and restricting access to food for civilians in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We continually make clear to both the government of South Sudan and the Opposition that disrupting the efforts of humanitarian agencies to provide food for civilians in desperate need of assistance is absolutely unacceptable. In particular, the government must fulfil its commitment to improve access for humanitarian personnel to those who need our support. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Africa Director raised this issue with the First Vice President on 23 November. We also raise humanitarian issues alongside other donors with representatives of the Government in the context of discussions about the peace process, organised by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee in Juba, most recently on 22 November.

South Sudan: Migrant Workers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in South Sudan on that country's restriction of employment of non-South Sudanese nationals by non-governmental organisations and other organisations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are playing a vital part in providing lifesaving humanitarian support in South Sudan. The Department for International Development Director for East Africa met with the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs on 22 October to discuss the South Sudanese NGO Bill and to ensure that its implementation was not hindering NGOs in providing vital services. We are watching this situation closely, and are in dialogue with NGO forums and the partners that we fund directly.

UN Mission in South Sudan

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he or the UK representative to the UN have made to other UN Security Council member states on the extension of the UN mission in South Sudan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The mandate for the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was extended for four months on 12 August, following extensive discussions in the UN Security Council. The effectiveness of the mission is reviewed monthly by Security Council members during consultations, which involve extensive discussions with all other members of the Council, and the mandate is due for renewal on 15 December. The UK Permanent Representative to the UN represents the UK Government during these discussions.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had on the situation in South Sudan with member states of the African Union and representatives from the African Union.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We regularly discuss South Sudan with senior African Union Commission (AUC) officials in Addis Ababa and Juba and raise it regularly with individual African Union Member States on a bilateral basis, including at the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission Partners meeting in Kampala on 10 November. Most recently, our Ambassador to South Sudan met with the AU Special Representative for South Sudan in Juba on 20 November, while our Ambassador to Ethiopia and UK Permanent Representative to the African Union met the AUC Commissioner for Peace and Security on 21 October and raised South Sudan with him then.

Faiz Mahmoud Ahmed Sherari

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Faiz Mahmoud Ahmed Sherari was provided with consular assistance from the British Government during his recent detention in Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised, and continues to raise, the detention of Mr Sharary with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 November. Consular officials continue to provide consular support to Mr Sharary and his family.

Faiz Mahmoud Ahmed Sherari

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli government on the recent detention of British citizen Faiz Mahmoud Ahmed Sherari.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised, and continues to raise, the detention of Mr Sharary with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 November. Consular officials continue to provide consular support to Mr Sharary and his family.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the Human Rights Watch's findings on the proportionality of the 8 October 2016 airstrike on a funeral in Sanaa by the Saudi-led Coalition.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Saudi Arabia has publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and that any lessons learned will be acted upon. It is for every party to a conflict to assess the concrete military advantage it is seeking to achieve against other factors, which include any incidental harm to civilians or damage to civilian objects, which would be excessive in relation to that military advantageThe UK welcomes the release by the Coalition's Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) of the outcome of an initial investigation into reports of an airstrike hitting a funeral hall in the Yemeni capital Sana'a on 8 October. Our consideration of the reports will be used to contribute to our overall view on the approach and attitude of Saudi Arabia to IHL, as part of all the information available to us. This, in turn, informs the risk assessment made against the Consolidated Criteria.We continue to monitor the situation closely, seeking further information where appropriate. We welcome any further information Non-Government Organisations can provide.

Burundi: Security

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Burundi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The situation in Burundi remains grave, despite claims by the Burundian Government that it has normalised. The overall security situation has improved since its low point in December 2015, with a reduction in night-time police raids and attacks by the opposition. However, this has been replaced by increased, systematic government oppression. There is compelling evidence from a range of local and international monitors, including the United Nations, that extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrests continue.In July 2016 the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2303, which authorised a deployment of 228 UN police to Burundi to monitor and report on human rights abuses. Implementation of the resolution has so far been hindered by the Burundian regime.

Burundi: Ethnic Groups

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the treatment of the Tutsi people in Burundi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have been unable to identify any clear evidence of the specific targeting of Tutsi groups, however, it is the Tutsi-majority areas of the capital Bujumbura that have seen the most significant street protests and violence.We are also deeply concerned by instances of ethnically-charged language, as noted in the September 2016 report of the United Nations Independent Investigation on Burundi. Our officials continue to monitor this closely.

Burundi: Minority Groups

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) President Nkurunziza and (b) Foreign Minister Alaine Aimé Nyamitwe on the protection of (i) ethnic, (ii) religious and (iii) other minorities in Burundi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Senior UK officials, including our High Commissioner in Rwanda (who is also our non-resident Ambassador to Burundi), met with President Nkurunziza most recently in January 2016. During the course of this meeting a broad range of issues was discussed, including human rights, security and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, including the protection of minorities in Burundi.Our officials take part in regular consultations with Foreign Minister Nyamitwe alongside other EU member states pursuant to Article 96 of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-EU Partnership Agreement (also known as the Cotonou Agreement) of 2000, most recently in October 2016. These consultations include discussion of human rights, civil and political rights, and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement.

Burundi: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) President Nkurunziza and (b) Foreign Minister Alain Aimé Nyamitwe on protecting human rights in Burundi.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Senior UK officials, including our High Commissioner in Rwanda (who is also our non-resident Ambassador to Burundi), met with President Nkurunziza most recently in January 2016. During the course of this meeting a broad range of issues was discussed, including human rights, security and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, including the protection of minorities in Burundi.Our officials take part in regular consultations with Foreign Minister Nyamitwe alongside other EU member states pursuant to Article 96 of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-EU Partnership Agreement (also known as the Cotonou Agreement) of 2000, most recently in October 2016. These consultations include discussion of human rights, civil and political rights, and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement.

Colombia: Peace Negotiations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Colombian counterpart since the outcome of the Colombian Referendum on the Peace Process on 2 October 2016.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss with his Colombian counterpart the agreement of a revised Colombian Peace Deal on 23 October 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister discussed the peace process with President Santos on 2 November, during the State Visit. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) also wrote to his Colombian counterpart on 14 November, following the announcement of the revised peace agreement. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the new deal announced by President Santos on 13 November and offered the UK's continued support to implement the peace process. The British Government welcomes the signing of the new peace deal on 24 November.

Colombia: Peace Negotiations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to visit Colombia to meet his Colombian counterpart to discuss the progress of the peace process in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) currently has no immediate plans to travel to Colombia.

Colombia: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on human rights in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK regularly raises human rights with the Colombian Government. The Prime Minister raised human rights, including the level of threat to Human Rights Defenders, during her meeting with President Santos on 2 November. On 15 November, the UK joined with other EU member states represented in Bogotá to raise concerns about the recent attacks against human rights defenders and trade unionists. Foreign Office officials discussed our concerns with the the Colombian Ambassador to the UK on 22 November. Our Ambassador to Colombia raised concerns about attacks on Human Rights Defenders with the Attorney-General the following day.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of the forced closure of over 100 Baha'i shops in Iran during the first week of November 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK regularly raises human rights concerns with the Iranian government including the continued persecution of religious minorities and treatment of the Baha'i community. We are aware that the Iranian authorities have closed down a number of Baha'i businesses in response to them temporarily closing to observe Baha'i holy days on 1 and 2 November. This forms part of a worrying trend of persecution of the Baha'i faith in Iran. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Somalia: Elections

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Somali counterpart on the level of voter participation in elections in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​I discussed the electoral process with the President of Somalia when we met in Mogadishu on 2 August. Our Ambassador in Mogadishu maintains a regular dialogue with key players across the Somali leadership on this subject.Somalia is in transition and partway through an electoral process due to culminate with the election of a new President by the end of the year. It is vital that the process is transparent, credible and safe; and that commitments to make the process more inclusive, including increasing female representation, are fully respected. With electoral colleges voting in regional states as well as Mogadishu comprising a total of over 14,000 voters, the 2016 process is a stepping stone to one person one vote elections scheduled for 2020, and builds on the 2012 process when only 135 elders voted. This is a big step forward, and presents a significant logistical and security challenge, but clearly the Government's ambition of universal suffrage remains.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of the report by Amnesty International, published on 21 November 2016, entitled, Window-dressing or pioneers of change? An assessment of Bahrain's human rights oversight bodies.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received a copy of the report from Amnesty International on Monday 21 November. We note that they have made a series of recommendations to the UK Government which we will look at closely. Since 2012, the UK has worked with Bahrain and have supported the establishment of a number of oversights bodies responsible for investigating allegations of human rights abuses.We believe that the UK support to Bahrain's reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many projects in operation in his Department are related to the UK's exit from the EU.

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many projects in operation in 10 Downing Street are related to the UK's exit from the EU.

Ben Gummer: The Prime Minister’s Office is integral part of the Cabinet Office.The Government is united in its ambition to deliver a successful withdrawal from the EU and a new relationship with Europe. Cabinet Office will work together with the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) and other departments to deliver this. The Prime Minister has instructed all departments to identify potential opportunities that will arise in their areas from EU exit. Cabinet Office is working closely with DExEU to ensure that the full range of opportunities is identified, and risks mitigated across areas of Cabinet Office responsibility.The Cabinet Office exists to support the Prime Minister and ensure the effective running of government. We are also the corporate headquarters for government, in partnership with HM Treasury, and we take the lead in certain critical policy areas. As a result, rather than having stand-alone projects related to the UK’s exit from the EU, all aspects of Cabinet Office responsibility are now adapting to the current context, which includes preparing for the UK’s exit from the EU.

Childbirth: Foreign Nationals

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) number and (b) proportion of births was where one or both parents were foreign-born in (i) London and (ii) each Greater London borough in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Skidmore: Holding answer received on 25 November 2016



The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Births
(PDF Document, 152.78 KB)

Childcare Implementation Taskforce

Jess Phillips: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Childcare Implementation Taskforce has met since its creation; what the full attendance was at each such meeting; and on what dates those meetings were held.

Ben Gummer: Information relating to the proceedings of Implementation Taskforces, including when and how often they meet, is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.The Government published a list of Cabinet Committees and Implementation Taskforces and their members on 18 October 2016. This can be found at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees.

Department for International Development

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will attend the sixty-first session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York in March 2017.

Rory Stewart: The UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) provides an important opportunity to advance better outcomes for girls and women.The government will ensure high level representation at the next UNCSW in March 2017.

Developing Countries: Females

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on promoting a cross-government approach to implementing the UN's Step it Up for Gender Equality initiative.

Rory Stewart: The UK Government has a strong domestic and international record on promoting gender equality. Although not working specifically under the auspices of UN Women’s Step it Up for Gender Equality initiative, the UK Cabinet is firmly committed to this agenda.

UN Women

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to meet the Executive Director of UN Women.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State met the Executive Director of UN Women during the UN General Assembly in September, and would expect to meet her again in the course of regular business.

South Sudan: Food

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to help to support food-insecure people in South Sudan.

James Wharton: Due to the severity and protracted nature of the food security crisis in South Sudan, DFID has signed multi-year agreements with the World Food Programme and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is a cost-effective way of providing emergency food assistance which allows us to reach more people. This year, UK funds have supported between 1.3 and 1.9 million people per month. The UK will continue to be vocal in lobbying the Government of South Sudan and others on facilitating humanitarian access for aid agencies.

South Sudan: Internally Displaced People

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to help support internally displaced South Sudanese refugees.

James Wharton: The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan. We expect to provide assistance to 3 million people between 2015 and 2020, the majority of whom are internally displaced people, but also those living in the host communities supporting them. Our support will include life-saving food and clean drinking water as well as sanitation, shelter and health care.

South Sudan: Cholera

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to help combat cholera outbreaks in South Sudan.

James Wharton: DFID is the lead donor to the multi-donor Health Pooled Fund (HPF) in South Sudan which provides primary health services through over 1,000 health facilities in eight of the 10 states in South Sudan. The HPF has supported the cholera outbreak response through the provision of essential medicines, supplies and by setting up cholera treatment centres in the affected states.

Sub-Saharan Africa: HIV Infection

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the needs of older people with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

James Wharton: In 2015, there were more people over the age of 50 living with HIV than ever before (5.8 million). This is because we are treating more people and preventing deaths. Older people living with HIV, however, have up to five times the risk of chronic disease and countries face increasing long-term health-care costs.DFID’s support to countries in sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen their health systems, including integrating HIV services, seeks to address this and ensure the needs of older people living with HIV are met through age-appropriate services.

South Sudan: Refugees

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya to support South Sudanese refugees.

James Wharton: The Department for International Development is providing essential humanitarian assistance across the region for South Sudanese refugees, including in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. In 2016/17 DFID (via country offices in Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, DRC) have provided an additional £15m in emergency funding to support the South Sudanese refugee response. For example, in Uganda we have vaccinated 185,000 children against meningitis and provided food for one month for 378,000 people. In Ethiopia we have provided safe transport from the border crossing points to the receiving refugee camps. We continue to work with partners to monitor the ongoing situation and needs of South Sudanese refugees.

Nigeria: International Assistance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to mobilise other donors to respond to the humanitarian situation in northern Nigeria.

James Wharton: In 2016 the UK is the second largest provider of humanitarian assistance to North-East Nigeria where the Boko Haram conflict has left 7 million people in urgent need. We have taken a leading role in urging the Government of Nigeria, other donors and the UN to increase the scale and quality of their response to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. In September 2016, when the UK announced a further £80 million of humanitarian funding, we called on other donors to step up, and on the UN to scale up their operations. We continue to raise awareness about the crisis globally and press our international counterparts to do more.

Sahel: Politics and Government

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in the Sahel and northern Nigeria.

James Wharton: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State to the Hon Member for Stafford at DFID Oral questions on Wednesday 16 November 2016 (Column 219).

Nigeria: Food

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the food security crisis in northern Nigeria.

James Wharton: The UK has taken a leading role in raising awareness of the Boko Haram conflict which has left 5.8 million people food insecure in North-East Nigeria.In September 2016, the UK announced a further £80 million of humanitarian funding which will meet the needs of more than a million people in North-East Nigeria this year. We have persistently raised awareness with the Government of Nigeria, other donors and with agencies of the UN, such as the World Food Programme.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what targets and measures of success her Department has set for the integration of HIV within broader development programmes.

James Wharton: The UK supports the internationally agreed targets and measures of success set out in the UNAIDS 2016-2021 strategy, which support the Global Goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. The Strategy includes indicators measuring the integration of HIV services into health systems.

Developing Countries: Medical Treatments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 9 of the report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, published in September 2016, what her Department's policy is on that panel's recommendation that instances of undue political and commercial pressure on WTO members using TRIPS flexibilities should be reported to the WTO secretariat during the Trade Policy Review of its members.

James Wharton: DFID agrees with the panel’s recommendation within the Report from the UN HLP on ATM concerning the right of WTO Members to use TRIPS flexibilities. The UK Government is committed to ensuring access to low cost, effective medicines in the developing world. We support the Doha Declaration on Public Health and, in line with the declaration, support developing countries in utilising Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities particularly in the case of national health emergencies such as pandemics. The UK also publicly supported Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in their recent request to be exempt from compliance with the WTO TRIPS agreements until 2021.

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the relationship between employees' working hours and the cost associated with childcare.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government wants to help more parents into work and support hard-working parents with the cost of childcare.We have introduced Universal Credit, the Government’s flagship welfare reform, which meets up to 85 per cent of childcare costs for those in work.We are extending the childcare entitlement to 30 hours per week for three- and four- year olds from working families from September 2017. Providers can offer all of the entitlements between 6am and 8pm, supporting parents who work non-standard hours.We are implementing Tax-free Childcare from 2017, which will help with the cost of childcare – it is worth up to £2,000 per child per year, and up to £4,000 for disabled children.Total Government spending – including the early years entitlements, Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit – will increase from £5bn in 2015-16 to over £6bn by 2019-20.

Pre-school Education: North West

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the difference in attainment for children under five between the North West and the national average.

Caroline Dinenage: Every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfil their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future outcomes and social mobility. On 20 October, the department published the early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) results for the 2015 to 2016 academic year, at national and local authority level. At a national level, 69.3% of children achieved a good level of development, which is an increase of 3 percentage points on 2015 (compared to 66.7% in the North West, which also represents an increase of 3 percentage points on the North West’s 2015 data). The latest EYFSP results are available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2015-to-2016 High quality early education is key to future outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children. That is why we are working hard to ensure parents and children - wherever they live in England - have access to high quality early years education places through the funded 15 hour entitlement for disadvantaged two-year-olds and the universal 15 hours entitlement for all three- and four-year-olds. At present, 84% of all two-year-olds (compared with 84% in the North West) and 86% of all three- and four-years-olds (compared to 88% in the North West) take up their entitlement in a good or outstanding setting.From September 2017, working parents who meet the eligibility criteria will also have access to an additional 15 hours of funded early education. Our proposed early years funding formula includes an additional needs factor - to better target funding towards local authorities with a higher relative proportion of children with additional needs - and an area cost adjustment to reflect local operating costs. This will help to ensure that all children can access quality early education in their area.The government is taking further steps to understand the regional attainment gap. In May 2016, the department commissioned a feasibility study to investigate the regional gap in early years at age 5, including recommendations to undertake a further study through longitudinal analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study (MSC) to assess variation in attainment and evaluate the potential drivers of a regional gap.

School Milk

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much milk is consumed in (a) nursery and (b) primary schools.

Edward Timpson: We do not collect information on the consumption of milk either at nursery or primary schools.

Nurseries: County Durham

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that nurseries in County Durham recruit well qualified staff including early years teachers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold data on the workforce for specific Local Authority areas as the duty to ensure sufficient childcare places resides with the individual Local Authority.However, as a Government we want to continue to attract and retain good quality staff to deliver good quality early years provision and the Government has committed to developing a workforce strategy to help employers to do this. As part of this strategy we are focussed on removing the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff so that new and existing staff can achieve their potential and forge a successful career in early years.The Government has recently published a consultation on the literacy and numeracy skills needed to perform as a Level 3 Early Years Educator in response to messages from the sector that the current requirements are creating a barrier to attracting and retaining high quality staff: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/level-3-early-years-educator-numeracy-and-literacy-requirementsBetween 2008 and 2013, the proportion of full day care staff with a degree or higher increased from 5 to 13%. To support this, the Department delivers early years initial teacher training and provides financial support for eligible graduates in the form of bursaries.

Special Educational Needs: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils are registered with (a) high and complex needs and (b) special educational needs in (i) Liverpool and (ii) Liverpool Walton.

Edward Timpson: The information requested can be found in the table below: Number of pupils with special educational needs, based on where the pupil attends school, January 2016, England (1) (2) Total pupilsPupils with statement or EHC plan (3)Pupils on SEN supportTotal pupils with SENNumber% (4)Number% (4)Number% (4)ENGLAND8,559,540236,8062.8991,98111.61,228,78714.4Liverpool local authority71,1831,7022.410,77715.112,47917.5Liverpool Walton constituency16,4734672.82,85217.33,31920.1Source: School Census (1) Includes maintained and direct grant nursery schools, maintained primary and secondary schools, city technology colleges, primary and secondary academies including free schools, special schools, special academies including free schools, pupil referral units, general hospital schools, alternative provision academies including free schools and independent schools.(2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations.(3) Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans were introduced from September 2014 as part of a range of SEND reforms.(4) Expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils in all schools.Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1.

Pre-school Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect the proposed change in the early years funding formula will have on the number of places in maintained nursery schools in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency.

Caroline Dinenage: Maintained nursery schools make a very important contribution to social mobility. That is why, as we introduce new funding arrangements in the early years, we are providing local authorities with supplementary funding of £55 million a year for their maintained nursery schools for at least two years. This will provide maintained nursery schools with stability by maintaining their current funding, and is part of our record investment in childcare – £6 billion per year by 2020.We will say more about the funding of maintained nursery schools shortly in our response to the consultation on an Early Years National Funding Formula. And we will consult the sector on the future of maintained nursery schools, including on what happens after this two year period, in due course.

Department for Education: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the contribution of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Environmental Audit Committee on 25 October 2016, Question 332, what proportion of existing EU legislation within the policy remit of her Department cannot immediately be brought into UK law upon the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure a functioning statute book on the day we leave the EU. This ‘Great Repeal Bill’ will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK. The Bill will convert existing European Union law into domestic law, wherever practical. The Government will set out the content of the Bill and its implications in due course.

Children: Day Care

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of people claiming free childcare for two-year olds are working.

Caroline Dinenage: The Parliamentary question has been transferred to the Department for Education as it relates to the entitlement to early learning for two year olds, for which this Department has responsibility.The Department for Education collects data on the number of two years olds taking up their entitlement to a funded learning place. However, the data requested is not available because the Department does not collect data on the employment status of parents who claim their entitlement to a funded early learning place.

Academies

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy conversions have taken place in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Timpson: In the year to the 1 November 2016, 840 academies have been opened. Of these 644 have been through the conversion route. The table shows the breakdown of the number of academies that have opened each month from 1 December 2015 to 1 November 2016:  Number of academies opened:ConverterSponsoredTotalDec-1530737Jan-16251035Feb-16261238Mar-1628937Apr-168022102May-1621930Jun-1625934Jul-16441155Aug-1646652Sep-1617669245Oct-16731790Nov-16701585Grand Total644196840Source: Edubase

Schools: Admissions

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the average annual cost of providing a place at a (a) maintained nursery school, (b) private, voluntary or independent early years provider, (c) primary school and (d) secondary school.

Caroline Dinenage: For the 2016-17 financial year the Government allocated an average of £2,568 per annum to local authorities for each early years place for three- and four-year olds, with this amount funding provision of 15 hours per week over 38 weeks. Local authorities determine the local funding rates for maintained nursery schools, and for private, voluntary and independent providers. Alongside our commitment to extend the free entitlement to childcare from 15 to 30 hours a week for working parents, we have committed to increasing the average hourly rate for delivering the entitlements. For the 2016-17 financial year the Government allocated an average of £4,636 per pupil through the schools block of the dedicated schools grant, for children aged 5 to 16 in mainstream schools. It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide the balance of funding between primary and secondary pupils.

Students: Loans

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing loans for second degrees to help people in and out of work to meet current and future high skills level gaps in England.

Joseph Johnson: Part-time students starting a second degree course in any Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subject will be eligible for student support from the 2017/18 academic year. We expect that that these changes will reduce barriers to people studying and help fill the high-level skills gaps that hold back parts of the economy.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will provide a breakdown of the proposed additional 2,500 prison officers by prison.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We want our prisons to be places where staff and prisoners alike feel safe and secure. The introduction of new ways of working to support prisoners to reform will achieve this while also increasing frontline staff numbers. Prison governors will be empowered to determine the precise grade mix and deployment of staff into their establishment to meet the individual needs of their specific prisoner population, in line with set minimum service requirements which are aligned to the NOMS Offender Management model. Staff numbers will vary across establishments, dependant on prisoner population and type of prison.

Young Offenders: Fines

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines have been issued by courts to children for criminal offences in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested can be viewed in the Criminal Justice System outcomes by offence data tool on the Criminal Justice Systems Statistics Quarterly (December 2015) page on gov.uk.

Secure Training Centres: Staff

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her Department's current assessment of the level of safety is for staff at (a) Medway, (b) Oakhill and (c) Rainsbrook secure training centres.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety of both young people and staff in youth custody is of utmost importance. We are currently developing a strategy which aims to improve safety across the youth estate, including at Medway, Oakhill and Rainsbrook.

Prison Service: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prisoners to prison officers was in each prison in England in each year from 2006.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The prison population by establishment and the number of prison officers (Band 3 – 5) for each public sector prison in England and Wales are published on gov.uk.As data are only published on staffing levels from June 2013, the attached spreadsheet provides staffing data as at March of each year for the period 2006 to 2013. Ratios can be calculated from these published figures.We are committed to transforming prisons into places of safety and reform and we’ve announced a major overhaul of the prison system including 2,500 extra frontline officers.As an immediate action we have already invested £14 million to provide more than 400 extra staff in ten of the most challenging prisons.   We are also introducing a new scheme to attract top graduates and former servicemen and women into the service, and giving governors greater flexibility over recruitment so they can address staffing quickly.

Church Commissioners

Clergy: Females

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether a Bishop of London has ordained a woman as a priest.

Dame Caroline Spelman: It has long been the practice of the Diocese of London for the Bishop to ordain all deacons, male and female, with Area Bishops ordaining priests in their local community.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Facebook

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Facebook on regulation of fake news on social media.

Matt Hancock: My officials have regular discussions with stakeholders on a range of policy issues.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2016 to Question 50339, what the (a) name, (b) job title and (c) responsibility is of each of the unpaid advisers currently based in her Department.

Matt Hancock: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Dormant Assets Commission

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2016 to Question 52931, how many new dormant assets have been identified since the Commission was established in March 2016; and what the projected size of the funding pot is for those dormant assets.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Dormant Assets Commission will publish its report early next year. The expansion of the Dormant Assets scheme could help unlock potentially hundreds of millions of pounds.

Mobile Broadband: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.20 of the Autumn Statement 2016, if she will take steps to address broadband not spots in York and North Yorkshire with funding allocated for fibre broadband and 5G technologies.

Matt Hancock: At the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that the Government would be investing an additional £1billion in the UK's digital infrastructure by 2020-21. The funding will support the market to roll-out full-fibre and future 5G communications, and, in partnership with local authorities, will help connect more homes and businesses across the UK. Further details will be announced in due course.

Kids Company

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2016 to Question 53524, on Kid's Company, if she will publish the evaluation of the independent third party.

Mr Rob Wilson: For the grants awarded in the financial year 2015/16, delivery of the grant conditions, were monitored by Cabinet Office officials. A summary of progress can be found on Parliament’s website: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/kids-company/written/23362.html

Kids Company

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2016 to Question 53524, on Kid's Company, what information her Department holds on the independent third party.

Mr Rob Wilson: A summary of the reporting process can be found in NAO’s review of Government’s funding of Kids Company:https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Investigation-the-governments-funding-of-Kids-Company.pdf.

Charities

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2016 to Question 53524, on Kids Company, whether the independent third party had any remit to investigate the outcomes reported by Kids Company; and whether a mechanism is in place to verify outcomes reported by grant-receiving charities in order to accurately evaluate performance against delivery targets.

Mr Rob Wilson: For the first part of 2015, Methods Consulting were required to monitor the performance of Kids Company against the output measures set out in the grant. They had full access to Kids Company’s data to allow them to take an independent view. Methods Consulting also worked with Kids Company to put in place an outcomes framework. For the 15-16 Financial Year, a dedicated CO official was responsible for monitoring Kids Company’s delivery against a set of delivery targets. A summary of these is set out on Parliament’s website: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/kids-company/written/23362.html Cabinet Office undertook a review of Grants making under Section 70 of the Charities Act, which fed into the wider work of Cabinet Office Grants Efficiency Programme. Minimum grant standards were introduced this month. This includes the requirement that grants will have outputs agreed wherever possible to enable active management of performance, including regular reviews and adjustment.PACAC was informed of the progress made and offered a copy of the draft minimum Grant standards in a letter addressed to the Chair of PACAC on 30 August 2016.

Kids Company

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2016 to Question 53525, if she will publish the delivery targets that were contained in the grant agreement for Kids Company.

Mr Rob Wilson: A summary of the targets is available on Parliament’s website as part of Cabinet Office’s written evidence:http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/kids-company/written/23362.html

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether UK state pensioners who reside in the Irish Republic will receive annual updating of their UK state pension after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The details for negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU will take some time. The status of pensioners will need to be carefully considered and state pensions will be considered carefully as part of the negotiations.

State Retirement Pensions

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people affected by the increase in the basic state pension age are contacted and made aware of that increase.

Richard Harrington: The Government uses a number of different means to ensure people are aware of increases to their State Pension age. These have included writing to people and targeted communications campaigns. We continue to look at the most effective ways to ensure people are aware of any such changes. Anyone can find out when they reach their State Pension age using our online calculator or the ‘Check your State Pension’ online service. Government has committed not to change the State Pension age for those people who are within 10 years of reaching it.

Pensions

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made on the effect of his Department's reforms to pensions on different age groups.

Richard Harrington: The Department committed to a strategy for monitoring and evaluating the workplace pension reforms in 2011. This was followed by a 2012 baseline report and subsequent annual evaluation reports, all of which are available online. These reports outline the trends in workplace pension participation both before and after the reforms’ implementation, which include analyses by age group. The Department has also published findings from more in-depth research exploring employers’ and employees’ responses to the reforms, some of which vary by employee age group. More recently, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published its findings from research, part-funded by the Department, which provides more detail on the effects of automatic enrolment by age group among eligible private sector employees. Since the introduction of automatic enrolment, workplace pension participation amongst eligible employees has increased for all age groups, but young people and low earners, those with the lowest participation rates prior to automatic enrolment, have seen the largest increase, narrowing the gap in participation between groups. In relation to State Pension reforms, the new State Pension (nSP) was introduced on 6 April 2016 for individuals reaching State Pension age from this date onwards. The Department published a number of impact assessments leading up to the introduction of nSP examining the impacts on different groups. The latest assessment was published in January 2016, and is available online.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, of the 198,200 proactively selected Child Support Agency (CSA) cases and the 16,200 reactively selected CSA cases which had completed the case closure process at the end of June 2016, in how many cases former CSA arrears were (a) written off and (b) transferred to the Child Maintenance Service.

Caroline Nokes: The table below shows the number of selected cases which had completed the case closure process as of the end of June 2016, detailed by the number of cases which have had CSA arrears written off and the number of cases where CSA arrears have been transferred to the Child Maintenance Service.  Number of proactively selected casesNumber of reactively selected casesTotal selected casesCSA arrears written off48,1004,60052,700CSA arrears transferred to the Child Maintenance Service76,7009,10085,800 Notes:Figures rounded to nearest 100Figures as at 30th June 2016. Selected cases may have CSA arrears written off after this date.Cases that have had CSA arrears written off may not have had the entirety of their arrears written off. Cases can therefore have both CSA arrears written off and CSA arrears transferred to the Child Maintenance Service.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, of the 74,200 former Child Support Agency (CSA) cases which had made an application to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) by the end of June 2016, how many have had former CSA arrears transferred over to the CMS.

Caroline Nokes: As at the end of June 2016, 21,800 of the 74,200 former Child Support Agency cases which had made an application to the Child Maintenance Service had their Secretary of State and/or Parent with Care arrears transferred over to CMS. Note that figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, of the 56,500 arrears only cases with the Child Maintenance Service at the end of June 2016, in how many cases the non-resident parent was paying towards those arrears at that date.

Caroline Nokes: The information is not routinely recorded and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 239,300 Child Support Agency cases where, by the end of June 2016, liability had been ended but the case closure process had yet to be fully completed, had been waiting (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months and (d) for more than three months for the completion of the closure process.

Caroline Nokes: The number of cases that have an end liability date but no case closure completion date is as follows: Time PeriodNumber of casesUp to 30 Days17,100Up to 60 Days15,400Up to 90 Days20,600Over 90 Days197,300 Notes: Figures rounded to nearest 100Figures in the table won’t match the 239,300 mentioned in the question, due to the fact that cases that were ‘part of a journey, without a liability’ are not separated in the number of cases that have completed case closure, this means that roughly 250,400 are included in the table.30, 60 and 90 days has been used as a proxy for 1, 2 and 3 Months respectively.

Social Security Benefits: Newham

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants affected by the recent reduction in the benefit cap in (a) East Ham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Newham are in receipt of (i) jobseeker's allowance, (ii) employment and support allowance, (iii) income support, (iv) housing benefit and (v) another benefit.

Caroline Nokes: The information is provided in the table below. Estimated breakdown of households affected by the lower cap levels by benefit receipt, 2016/17Benefit ReceivedProportion of capped householdsEast Ham constituencyLondon Borough of NewhamEmployment and Support Allowance18%21%Income Support37%39%Jobseeker's Allowance24%23%Other20%17%Total (Housing Benefit)100%100% These estimates focus on the benefit cap continuing to be applied under Housing Benefit and therefore all households affected will be in receipt of Housing Benefit. The benefit cap will increasingly be applied under Universal Credit as it gradually rolls out. Universal Credit will replace Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-based Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit, along with Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Notes:Figures may not sum due to rounding.Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, would cause the number of households affected to reduce and may change the proportional split.The methodology used to estimate the households affected by the cap is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-cap

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Protector programme for unmanned aerial systems is planned to be funded from his Department's core budget or as an Urgent Operational Requirement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Protector programme will be funded from the Ministry of Defence's core budget.

Defence: Procurement

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will issue guidance on how local small and medium-sized enterprise businesses can benefit from defence supply chain procurement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence recognises the value of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to defence, and in 2015-16 direct spend with SMEs amounted to more than £700 million with nearly 5,000 different suppliers. Furthermore, we have taken positive action to provide SMEs increased access to the defence market. In March 2016, a revised SME policy was published to make it easier for companies to work with defence. This revised policy, which applies throughout the supply chain, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-policy-for-small-and-medium-enterprises. Key revisions include: A new supply chain champion and a supply chain advocate network, to provide single points of contact for suppliers; A reduction in bureaucracy and red tape; and An online resource for suppliers that explains our policy, advises how to target funding streams, and signposts opportunities. Improvements have also been made to the Defence Contracts Online advertising service, which, alongside the Government's Contracts Finder portal, provides suppliers with free access to defence opportunities.

Trident

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to allow and support British companies to bid for contracts in the procurement process for the Trident successor programme.

Harriett Baldwin: The use of competition remains the cornerstone of defence procurement and this approach has been successful in driving efficiency into the UK defence industry.We are working with our Tier One contractors, who are responsible for procurement, on a range of measures designed to ensure opportunities are better advertised and to encourage British companies to bid for contracts.The Dreadnought class submarine programme represents billions of pounds of investment in thousands of British jobs, across hundreds of firms, from Scotland to the South of England85% of BAE Systems supply chain for the new submarines is based in the UK.

GKN: Yeovil

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with GKN on the future of the workforce at that company's Yeovil helicopter plant.

Harriett Baldwin: It is not for the Ministry of Defence to comment on a commercial decision not directly related to one of its programmes. The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy is in contact with GKN and stands ready to support affected workers where possible.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much service personnel in Northern Ireland have paid as a contribution in lieu of council tax in each year since 2011.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how contribution in lieu of council tax is calculated for service personnel stationed in Northern Ireland.

Mark Lancaster: Service Families Accommodation and Single Living Accommodation for Service personnel in England, Scotland and Wales is formally exempt from the Council Tax regime and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) instead pays a Contribution in Lieu of Council Tax (CILOCT) to local authorities, broadly equivalent to the amount of Council Tax that would otherwise be due. The average contribution, determined by the type of property occupied, is then recovered from Service occupants with their accommodation charge. The levels of CILOCT charge applied to personnel living in Northern Ireland ensure consistency of charging with the same type of accommodation within the United Kingdom. The MOD pays the applicable rates in Northern Ireland.Information on the amount of CILOCT that Service personnel living in Northern Ireland have paid in each year since 2011 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Bases: Glencorse

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much by expenditure category his Department has spent on the Glencorse Barracks in each of the last 15 years.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 November 2016 to Question 52240.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-11-08/52240



52240 - WQnA extract on Military Bases Glencorse
(Word Document, 14.57 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Breastfeeding

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) facilities and (b) other support his Department provides for (i) visitors and (ii) staff for (A) lactating mothers and (B) the expressing of breast milk.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence Head Office building in Whitehall provides a suitable facility for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, whether staff or visitors, where they can lactate, express breast milk, rest and change babies if so required, in line with Health and Safety Executive guidance. This information is publicised in the sites Building Guide to raise awareness of the facilities available.

HMS Duncan

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the circumstances were that led to HMS Duncan being towed back to port on 23 November 2016.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there have been any Type 45 destroyers that have had to be under tow since August 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: HMS DUNCAN experienced a technical issue and returned to Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport under her own power to conduct an assessment. As is standard practice tug boats were in attendance to assist with pilotage and berthing. HMS DUNCAN returned to operations on Friday 25 November 2016.Other than for routine navigational assistance no Type 45 Destroyer has been under tow since August 2016.

War Pensions

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the greatest length of time is that a veteran has claimed a pension under the War Pensions Scheme.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) the US and (b) other countries on implementation of the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in those countries.

Mike Penning: Ministry of Defence (MOD) Ministers have not had any direct discussions with counterparts on the Joint Declaration for the Export and Subsequent Use of Armed or Strike-Enabled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. MOD officials are supporting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in taking forward implementation. The UK expects to participate in multi-lateral discussions with other Signatories.

Home Office

Internet: Bullying

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police cautions have been issued for offences under (a) section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and (b) section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 19 October 2016



Information going back to 2005 on police cautions for these offences has been published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015Data stretching further back is held by the Ministry of Justice, which is the department responsible for police caution figures.

Police

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been (a) sacked and (b) jailed in the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes data on the number of officers who leave the police service each year, by route of exit. The number of officers leaving due to dismissal in each of the last five financial years can be found in table 4.1 of the latest police workforce statistical bulletin:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544849/hosb0516-police-workforce.pdfThe ‘dismissal’ category includes individuals who have been required to resign, made compulsorily redundant, or have had their contract terminated.The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the total number of police officers who have been jailed in the last five years.

Operation Bridger

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents have been reported under Operation Bridger in each police force area in each month up to and including October 2016.

Mr Ben Wallace: Operation BRIDGER is a nationwide police protective security operation to enhance the security of Members of Parliament. This was set up in the wake of a number of threats to MP’s following the Parliamentary debates on Syria late last year.Part of these arrangements are to ensure that there is consistent reporting and recording of incidents against MP’s constituency offices and home addresses. It would not be appropriate to release these figures in to the public domain given their sensitivity.

Immigration

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation her Department paid due to errors made on applications for (a) indefinite leave to remain, (b) limited leave to remain, (c) marriage visas and (d) visit visas in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013, (iii) 2014 and (iv) 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: This information is not available, except at disproportionate cost.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has made to the police in each month since it was established.

Sarah Newton: At the preliminary hearing on 26 July 2016 Counsel to the Inquiry stated that the Inquiry was making an average of between 20 and 25 police referrals each week. Further details are in the transcript (page 9, lines 4-5):https://www.iicsa.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/2016-07-26-general-matters-relating-to-investigations-transcript.pdf

Home Office: Breastfeeding

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) facilities and (b) other support her Department provides for (i) visitors and (ii) staff for (A) lactating mothers and (B) the expressing of breast milk.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office provides suitable facilities and other support including adequate time, refrigeration storage, comfortable furniture, privacy, and hygiene facilities for visitors and staff who are breast feeding and lactating mothers wishing to express breast milk, in line with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance.

Theft: Metals

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding has been allocated to each constabulary to tackle scrap metal theft and enforcement of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The Government is not providing funding specifically to police forces to tackle metal theft. We provide funding for individual police budgets and Police and Crime Commissioners determine according to local priorities how this funding is allocated to tackle crime. However, the Government did provide additional funding of £6 million in total to the National Metal Theft Taskforce between January 2012 and September 2014 to support the implementation of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. The legislation is proving to be effective and in 2015-16 metal theft offences reduced by 38%, according to the Office for National Statistics in their statistical bulletin Focus on property crime: year ending March 2016 published on 24 November 2016.

Motor Vehicles: Seized Articles

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to end the charging of storage fees by police constabularies to victims of crime whose vehicles are seized or put into storage.

Brandon Lewis: Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008 set the maximum sum that the police can charge. The decision to waive the charges is an operational matter for the police. There are no plans to change this.

Emergency Services: Mobile Radios

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Extended Area Service mast sites for the Emergency Services Network will be capable of accommodating multiple vendors to afford optimum potential for all users.

Brandon Lewis: The Emergency Services Network (ESN) is being put in place to provide a new generation of communications for the emergency services and its focus must be to provide the critical national infrastructure to do so. Aligned with the Mobile Network Operators, Government has ambitions to improve mobile coverage in the UK. Clearly, where practicable, it makes sense to ensure that ESN helps to meet both objectives. Government is in communication with the operators to confirm how we will do that in practice.

Scotland Office

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the Government has agreed to the request of the Scottish Government to delay for three years the transfer of welfare powers in April 2017.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons the Scottish Government has given for requesting to defer responsibility for welfare in April 2017; and what assessment the Government has made of the consequences of that delay to the Scottish Government's budget.

David Mundell: At the request of Scottish Government Ministers, the UK Government has agreed to consider an approach to splitting competence, and to extend the timetable for transfer of executive competence for the remaining welfare sections of the Scotland Act 2016, to April 2020. The UK Government’s priority is the 1.4 million Scots who will be affected by the changes, and we will continue to work with the Scottish Government to achieve a safe and secure transfer of powers. This was discussed at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare on 11 October, the minutes of which are available publicly. Once the Scottish Parliament are ready to assume executive competence of the powers, the funding will transfer, and it will be for the Scottish Government to confirm how these arrangements will feature in its forthcoming budget. A number of welfare provisions in the Act, including the power to create new benefits in devolved areas and the power to top up reserved benefits, have already come into force.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

White Fish: Fishing Catches

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on a temporary ban on the commercial netting of sea bass.

George Eustice: Bass have been in serious decline due to fishing pressure and an earlier succession of winters with poor reproduction. The latest proposals for measures to apply at EU level in 2017 are due to be agreed at December Fisheries Council. I recognise the level of challenge the restrictions on bass catches in 2017, as proposed by the European Commission, would present for both recreational and commercial fishing sectors. We are considering the Commission’s proposals carefully, including the absence of any provision for sea bass caught in nets to be landed. We will be seeking to secure a balanced package of measures which builds on the progress to date to continue to bring bass catches down to a recommended level while the stock recovers. This is a UK Government priority, to secure sustainable fishing for bass in the long term

Agriculture: Fertilisers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2016 to Question 53157, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of application of (a) nitrogen, (b) phosphate, (c) potash and (d) sulphur on UK farmland while maintaining levels of output; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra supports the efficient use of fertiliser, through agri-environment schemes that promote environmentally sensitive land management and also through capital investments into new, innovative technologies that optimise application. Overall, fertiliser use is declining across the UK as the annual report from the British Fertiliser Survey outlines. The application of total nitrogen has declined by 28% from 1983 to 2015 across Great Britain. For the same time period phosphate and potash have seen a decline of 55% and 44% respectively.

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department have had with counterparts in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the Government's emissions reduction plan since May 2016.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of Ministerial discussions are not routinely disclosed. Defra officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to discuss a range of policy issues, including the Government’s emissions reduction plan.

Environment Protection: Standards

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisation will provide external scrutiny of the UK's performance against environmental protection requirements once the UK leaves the EU; and if she will appoint an Ombudsman for Future Generations to fulfil such a role.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Parliament is responsible for holding the Government to account, and Parliament is ultimately accountable to the electorate. This will not change with our departure from the EU. If there is an allegation that the Government has acted unlawfully, or has not complied with due process, interested parties may also bring legal action against the Government, in form of a claim for judicial review through the courts.

Air Pollution

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish new measures to improve air quality as required by the High Court judgement of 2 November 2016; and what progress her Department has made on reviewing the case to make Greater Manchester a clean air zone.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is considering next steps in light of both the High Court judgment and recent updates in data on emissions from diesel vehicles and we will set out further measures next year, including publishing a revised air quality plan by 24 April 2017 a final plan by 31 July 2017. We are consulting on a draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on draft legislation to mandate five cities to establish a Clean Air Zone. Greater Manchester can introduce a Clean Air Zone should they wish to.

Air Pollution: Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many schools are located within (a) one mile and (b) five miles of the (i) Bury Whitefield Roadside and (ii) Manchester Piccadilly air quality monitoring sites.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not routinely hold information or data on schools located within close proximity to air quality monitoring sites. However, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council and Manchester City Council have estimated the number of schools located within one and five miles of the Bury Whitefield Roadside and Manchester Piccadilly air quality monitoring sites. There are 15 schools within one mile of both the Bury and Manchester Piccadilly sites. There are 193 within five miles of the Bury site and 361 of Manchester Piccadilly.

Air Pollution: Greater Manchester

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people live within (a) one mile and (b) five miles of the (i) Bury Whitefield Roadside and (ii) Manchester Piccadilly air quality monitoring sites.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not routinely hold information or data on the number of people living within close proximity and around air quality monitoring sites. However Bury Metropolitan Borough Council and Manchester City Council have estimated the number of people living within one and five miles of the Bury Whitefield Roadside and Manchester Piccadilly air quality monitoring sites. They estimate there are 24,882 people living within a mile of the Bury site and 44,126 within a mile of the Manchester Piccadilly site. They also estimate there are 490,023 people living within five miles of the Bury site and 790,650 of the Manchester Piccadilly site.

HM Treasury

Taxation: Internet

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned research on introducing an internet sales tax.

Jane Ellison: Electronic services and goods sold online to consumers in the UK are subject to UK VAT in the same way as if a consumer purchased them through other means.

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received from the Northern Ireland Executive on reducing air passenger duty in Northern Ireland.

Jane Ellison: The Chancellor discusses matters of interest with his counterparts in all devolved administrations on a regular basis, including APD where relevant.

Productivity

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of spending from the National Productivity Investment Fund in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) will provide £23bn of additional spending between 2017/18 and 2021/22. The government will fund the NPIF from additional borrowing in the short-term. All other new policies announced at Autumn Statement are funded through additional tax and spending measures.

Inflation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of predicted changes in the rate of inflation on consumer spending power over the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Kirby: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR forecast “lower consumption growth, as higher inflation (largely caused by the sterling depreciation) weighs on household real incomes” in 2017.The Government is taking action to support households, including raising the National Living Wage, increasing the personal allowance, freezing fuel duty, and banning letting agents’ fees to tenants.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum compensation payment paid to a claimant for maladministration of tax credits was in each of the last three years.

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish in full the criteria used formally to determine the level of compensation paid to claimants for maladministration of their tax credits.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will consider offering redress payments for a variety of reasons, including: poor complaint handling, costs incurred, worry and distress and actual financial loss.Between 19 November 2013 and 18 November 2014 the minimum compensation payment to a claimant was £1.65 and the maximum compensation payment to a claimant was £4,938.38.Between 19 November 2014 and 18 November 2015 the minimum compensation payment to a claimant was £0.58 and the maximum compensation payment to a claimant was £3,529.60.Between 19 November 2015 and 18 November 2016 the minimum compensation payment to a claimant was £1.00 and the maximum compensation payment to a claimant was £3,072.64.HMRC policy in respect of compensation payments is that they will consider refunding any reasonable costs that claimants may have incurred due to mistakes and/or unreasonable delays. In certain circumstances, claimants may also be eligible for a small amount of redress. Details of HMRC’s redress policy and guidance is available publically and can be found at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/crgmanual/crg5525.htm

Apprentices: Taxation

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 87 of the Budget 2016, and page 58 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how the shortfall of £100 million in estimated revenue from the Apprenticeship Levy in 2020-21 will be addressed.

Jane Ellison: The expected revenue from the Apprenticeship Levy has been revised down since Budget 2016 by around £100m a year. This reflects lower earnings growth as forecast by the Office of Budget Responsibility in their latest economic forecast which the Chancellor of the Exchequer responded to during Autumn Statement 2016.The Government set out its spending plans for apprenticeships at the 2015 Spending Review. Funding for apprenticeships in England was increased and will reach £2.5 billion by 2019-20. These plans have not changed as a result of the change in forecast revenue from the Apprenticeship Levy set out in the Autumn Statement.

Local Government: Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what process his Department requires to be followed to enable sign-off for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal.

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps local authorities need to complete to enable sign-off for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland Region City Deal.

Mr David Gauke: The government is currently in negotiations with local partners and the Scottish Government towards an Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal. The government has been clear that it will consider proposals which provide good value for money and respect the Scottish Government’s devolution settlement. The government continues to work with local partners and is confident of agreeing a deal in due course.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet a delegation from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Equitable Life to discuss the closure of the Equitable Life Payment Scheme and the sum which has not so far been distributed.

Simon Kirby: Although the Equitable Life Payment Scheme is closed, I would be happy to meet with a delegation from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Justice for Equitable Life Policy Holders.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount is of Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland of the Autumn Statement 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The total additions to the Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant as a result of the application of the Barnett formula to spending decisions announced at Autumn Statement are set out in the table below. £ millionTotal Resource DEL25 Capital DEL277 Financial Transactions Capital3 TOTAL305

Autumn Statement

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to continue to publish the Autumn Statement on an annual basis for the remainder of the current Parliament.

Jane Ellison: At the Autumn Statement 2016, the Chancellor announced that the Government would move towards having one main annual fiscal event. After the spring 2017 Budget, Budgets will be delivered in the autumn with the first one taking place in autumn 2017. The Office for Budget Responsibility will produce a spring forecast from spring 2018 and the Government will make a Spring Statement responding to that forecast.

Insurance

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to update the regulatory framework on suretyship.

Simon Kirby: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which are operationally independent from the government.The question has been passed on to the FCA and PRA and they will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Employment

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to assess the number of people working for (a) a single employer and (b) an online platform who are incorrectly classified as (i) independent contractors, (ii) self-employed and (iii) independent limited companies.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) created the Employment Status and Intermediaries Team to focus on employment status and employment intermediary risks. HMRC’s risk-based approach to compliance, the outcome of Employment Tribunal cases, third-party data and other data will help inform the Government’s assessment of the number of people whose employment status has been incorrectly classified.

Tax Avoidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his most recent estimate is of the number of contractors working under the control and management of umbrella companies that are constituted as independent limited companies.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue & Customs has not estimated how many contractors, constituted as independent limited companies, are working under the control and management of umbrella companies.

Northern Ireland Office

County Londonderry

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2016 to Question 52620, on County Londonderry, what the legal basis is for the Government's position given in that Answer.

James Brokenshire: The issues relating to Lough Foyle date back to a 1662 charter of Charles II, which granted the waters and bed (as well as the fisheries) of Lough Foyle to the Irish Society, and included them as part of County Londonderry. In practice, the regulation of activities in the Lough is now the responsibility of the Loughs Agency, a cross-border body established under the Belfast Agreement of 1998. We remain fully committed to these arrangements and continue to work closely with the Irish Government over improvements to the management of the Lough. Like the Irish Government, we do not anticipate these issues forming part of the negotiations over the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Department for International Trade

Engineering: Exports

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support is available to engineering companies in Oldham wishing to export to new markets.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is determined to significantly increase exports by inspiring and supporting UK companies to take advantage of global opportunities for UK products, skills and expertise in new markets around the world.On 14th November we launched a new single platform, www.GREAT.gov.uk, to bring together all aspects of Government support for exporters. This site provides tailored advice, along with specific live Export Opportunities, country guides, an e-Marketplace tool to help exporters find online market places, a ‘Find a Buyer’ service to match registered UK sellers to overseas customers, and a link to our local trade teams that provide one-to-one support for exporters.Our International Trade Advisers working in the Oldham area are providing tailored support to local businesses. Over the last year we have worked with around 100 businesses in Oldham of which at least 10 are engineering companies who have had one-to-one international trade support. The local trade team arranges a host of seminars and events across Greater Manchester and the North West to help businesses explore overseas opportunities. For example, specifically for new exporters, there will be a First Steps to Export workshop at the Hollinwood Business Centre in Oldham on 7th December. Also, new Oldham exporters in engineering and other sectors can take advantage of Northern Powerhouse market taster visits to European markets from January to March 2017.Integrated with all of this support, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is also funding the Greater Manchester Export Fund. This runs through to March 2017, and provides grants and loans to Oldham businesses that are investing in export related projects. So far 6 Oldham companies, 5 of which are in the manufacturing sector, have successfully applied for grants or loans totalling over £1 million. All of these companies are working with an International Trade Adviser to support their respective export plans.UK Export Finance (UKEF) also offers finance and insurance to help UK-based exporters of all sizes and across all sectors, including engineering companies in Oldham. Engineering is an important sector for the UK economy and UKEF can work with engineering firms to help them win, fulfil and get paid for overseas sales. UKEF’s North West based Export Finance Advisers act as local points of contact to introduce businesses with export potential to finance providers, credit insurers, insurance brokers, trade support bodies and sources of Government support.

Overseas Trade: Occupied Territories

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to advise businesses with respect to trading with illegal Israeli settlements; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: I refer the hon Member for Slough to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Knowsley on 23 November, UIN: 53322.

Trade Agreements

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which countries his Department plans to prioritise for future international free trade agreements in the event of the UK leaving the EU customs union.

Greg Hands: Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets, in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.

India: Overseas Trade

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government took to advise Scottish companies of the promotional opportunities provided by him visit to India of November 2016.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

India: Overseas Trade

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value was of commercial agreements reached during his visit to India of November 2016.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

India: Overseas Trade

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value was of commercial agreements involving Scottish companies reached during his visit to India of November 2016.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade: Freedom of Information

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reasons his Department has not responded to all of its Freedom of Information requests within the statutory time limit.

Greg Hands: Adequate arrangements for processing Freedom of Information requests in the Department have been in place since its formation.Figures on the number and timeliness of response to FOI requests received at the Department for International Trade are being collected and will be published as part of the National Statistics FOI Bulletin on the 15th of December.

Department for International Trade: Departmental Responsibilities

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will provide a list of the representatives from external organisations that officials of his Department have met since the creation of his Department.

Greg Hands: This Department does not hold centrally the information you request and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for International Trade: Departmental Responsibilities

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will provide a list of the representatives from external organisations that Ministers of his Department have met since the creation of his Department.

Greg Hands: Details of Ministerial meetings, are published quarterly on gov.uk at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=ministerial+meetings&publication_filter_option=transparency-data&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=all&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=&to_date=

Trade Agreements

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that all future trade and investment deals are consistent with the UK's international obligations to tackle climate change.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

World Trade Organisation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions the UK representative at the World Trade Organisation has had on future arrangements which may be necessary when the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

House of Commons Commission

Acts: Publishing

Paul Flynn: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what information the Commission holds on the cost per page of printing bills on vellum in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission does not hold such information as it is the House of Lords which has always been responsible for the production of record copies of Acts. In his letter of 17 September 2015 to the Administration Committee, the then House of Lords Chairman of Committees said that “Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the cost to the Lords of producing vellums averaged slightly over £100,000 per year”.

Vellum: Expenditure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost of purchasing of vellum has been in each of the last five years.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission does not hold such information as it is the House of Lords which has always been responsible for the purchasing of vellum. It would therefore be for the House of Lords to reply.

Department of Health

Hepatitis: Bristol West

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Bristol West constituency (a) he estimates have undiagnosed and (b) have diagnosed hepatitis C; and how many people who have been so diagnosed have access to the latest treatments for hepatitis C.

Nicola Blackwood: There is no routine national notification system in place to capture cases diagnosed with current hepatitis C infection. However, there are a number of systems and programmes in place that provide robust information on samples of the population which allow us to generate estimates at both a national and local level. Estimates of the number of people with undiagnosed hepatitis C are available at local authority level. The estimated number of people in the city of Bristol with current undiagnosed hepatitis C infection is approximately 750. Information on the number of people diagnosed with hepatitis C who have access to the latest treatment is not held centrally.

Hepatitis: Medical Treatments

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on its decision to limit the number of people able to access new hepatitis C treatments to 10,011; and on what basis that number was chosen.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51807, for what reasons access to the new treatments for hepatitis C that have been approved as cost-effective by NICE has been limited to 10,011 people in 2016-17.

Nicola Blackwood: The guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in relation to new direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C recommends that the decision to treat, and prescribing decisions, are made by multidisciplinary teams in the operational delivery networks put in place by NHS England. These prioritise treatment for people with the highest unmet clinical need. NHS England’s commitment to treat 10,000 patients in 2016/17, increasing to 12,500 in 2017/18, is in line with NICE’s estimate of activity included in the costing tools published to support implementation of the guidance.

Diabetes: Chiropody

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average number of people with diabetes in England who received a foot risk assessment within 24 hours of admission to hospital in the last 12 months.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not held in the format requested.However, the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (NaDIA) (part of the National Diabetes Audit programme) collects information on inpatients with diabetes in England and Wales that had a specific diabetic foot risk examination for ulceration within 24 hours of admission to hospital. The most recent report, published in June 2016, can be found at the following link:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB20206/nati-diab-inp-audi-15-nat-rep.pdf

Hepatitis

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the World Health Organisation's Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, whether he plans to produce a national strategy for the elimination of hepatitis C by 2030.

Nicola Blackwood: The United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk/behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation to monitor the cascade of care, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. The UK already has a comprehensive national programme of screening of blood donors and blood transfusions for blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis C, to ensure safe supplies – 100% of blood donors are screened with quality assured methods. There is national guidance and legislation around infection control in healthcare settings including a policy for healthcare workers to prevent nosocomial transmission of blood-borne viruses. Prevention efforts in minimising harm in people who inject drugs is focused on access to opiate substitution therapies and needle syringe exchange programmes, and disinfection tablets in prisons.Public Health England has published hepatitis C metrics for the report “Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat”. The report is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541317/Hepatitis_C_in_the_UK_2016_report.pdf

General Practitioners: Training

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP surgeries are reimbursed for the training of GPs.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Health Education England (HEE) mandate includes an objective for HEE to work with stakeholders including the Department to develop tariffs for primary care medical education and training, which better reflect the costs and benefits to employers of having trainees. Any proposed national tariffs for primary care would need to be affordable within HEE’s annual funding settlement.

General Practitioners: Debts

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP surgeries are in deficit.

David Mowat: NHS England does not routinely collect this information, as general practitioner practices are independently run private businesses - which are mostly partnerships in nature - and are therefore not required to publish their accounts in the same way that limited companies are required to file theirs with Companies House.

Doctors' List of Patients: Databases

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on GP surgeries of waiting times to process electronic patient registrations.

Nicola Blackwood: Data on the effect on general practitioner surgeries of waiting times to process electronic patient registrations is not collected centrally.

Capita: Department of Health

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports his Department has received from the seven experts embedded in Capita on the level of performance of the contract between his Department and that company.

David Mowat: The contract referred to is not held by Department, but by NHS England. NHS England’s national director for Transformation and Corporate Operations is keeping the Department informed of progress through regular meetings.

Medical Records: Databases

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) names and (b) backgrounds are of the seven experts his Department is embedding within Capita to work on ratification plans to resolve the issues with the movement and processing of medical records.

David Mowat: The experts in question are employees of NHS England and are not employed by, or representing, the Department.

Prescription Drugs

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reusing prescribed medication in blister packs which has been dispensed but not used.

David Mowat: The Government does not promote the reuse of prescribed medication in blister packs, which has been dispensed but not used, as it is not possible to guarantee the quality of such medicines by physical inspection alone.

Pharmacy: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes to community pharmacy funding on the delivery of pharmaceutical services in Greater Manchester; and whether it is his intention to devolve (a) responsibility for and (b) funding of pharmacies to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority or its component local authorities.

David Mowat: We have made no such assessment. The Government welcomes the progress that has already been made by Greater Manchester partners as they implement their ground-breaking devolution deal. The Department and other national partners continue to work with and support Greater Manchester as it realises its ambitious plans for transforming its health and social care system. Discussions with Greater Manchester are ongoing. However there are currently no plans to devolve responsibility and funding for community pharmacies, under the Cities and Local Devolution Act 2016, to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Health Services and Social Services: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the sufficiency of transitional/transformational funding for Greater Manchester health and social care devolution.

David Mowat: This is a matter for NHS England. Within its overall transformation resources NHS England has made an allocation of £450 million to Greater Manchester. Under the accountability arrangements established in its devolution agreement, the Greater Manchester Strategic Partnership Board will oversee the deployment of this funding to deliver the major change programme set out in its Health and Social Care Strategic Plan. The Department and other national partners will continue to work with and support the National Health Service in Greater Manchester as the plans for its health and social care system are realised. The Government welcomes the progress that has already been made.

Strangeways Prison: Mental Health Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the adequacy of mental health assessments in HM Prison Strangeways, Manchester.

Nicola Blackwood: Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust has provided healthcare in HMP Manchester since April 2015. The Mental Health Inreach Team (MHIT) provides a specialist, comprehensive mental health service for prisoners at HMP Manchester. MHIT staff use the Care Programme Approach to mental health assessment and care planning when working with prisoners. This includes liaising with any family and carers, services outside the prison, including community mental health services in the prisoner's home location and the National Probation Service and Criminal Justice Liaison Team, to ensure that continuity of planning and care occurs as people move in and out of prison.

Docklands Medical Services

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on what date (a) the subcontract for Docklands Medical Services Ltd was sent to High Wealds Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group by Coperforma and (b) Docklands Medical Services Ltd began transporting patients as a subcontractor for Coperforma.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on when the subcontract for Docklands Medical Services Ltd was sent to High Wealds Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) by Coperforma is not held centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to Questions 51447 and 51445 on 16 November 2016 and Question 50155 on 8 November 2016. I have asked NHS England to investigate this provision of transport services and NHS England is finalising the terms of reference for an independent review which will investigate how the commissioners were assured that all providers contracted by Coperforma were properly registered with the Care Quality Commission. As part of this investigation the timeline of events and communications between the CCG and Coperforma will be looked at.

Health Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have had requests for (a) surgery on varicose veins and (b) other treatments refused under the Exceptionality Operational Policy in England in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England does not hold this information centrally.

St Bartholomew's Hospital

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England has proposed that some congenital heart disease cases can be re-directed from the Royal Brompton Hospital to Barts Heart Centre; and how many permanent congenital cardiac surgeons Barts Heart Centre employs.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England has proposed that the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (RBH) will no longer provide level 1 congenital heart disease (CHD) services, including surgery and interventional cardiology. It will be for patients and clinicians to decide together where best patients should be referred for treatment. However, NHS England has undertaken modelling to look at where RBH patients might receive their surgical care if they attended their nearest level 1 CHD centre instead of RBH. This shows that some of the surgery currently undertaken at RBH might, in future, be undertaken at Barts Health NHS Trust. Barts Health NHS Trust is part of a level 1 centre that is delivered by a partnership of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), University College London Hospitals and Barts Health NHS Trust. Barts Health NHS Trust does not employ congenital cardiac surgeons. However, three of the surgeons employed by GOSH provide the service at Barts Health NHS Trust.

Diabetes

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to hold NHS England to account on the delivery of the diabetes metrics outlined in the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework 2016-17.

Nicola Blackwood: The mandate to NHS England requires it to develop the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework (CCG IAF) and its supporting indicators in 2016-17, and in subsequent years to improve CCG performance against the indicators by 2020. This includes a specific reference to diabetes. NHS England is being held to account for achieving the deliverables in the 2016-17 mandate through regular assurance and accountability meetings with senior Departmental officials and my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. NHS England has completed the development of the framework and established baseline data for each group of indicators. In subsequent years, NHS England will be held to account for supporting CCGs to deliver improvements in the CCG IAF indicators.

Childbirth

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what help and advice on charitable post-natal support is available to expectant mothers who are due to give birth to a severely disabled child.

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice is offered to expectant mothers on post-natal support for disabled children.

Mr Philip Dunne: If testing during pregnancy indicates the baby will be born with a disability, the parents should be offered counselling to allow them to discuss the impact of the diagnosis. They may also be offered an appointment to meet a doctor or other health professional who works with children who are disabled, who can also tell them more about the condition and answer any questions they may have. NHS Choices has extensive information on caring for ill and premature babies and has dedicated information on babies born with disabilities. It signposts some of the voluntary bodies that can be of assistance, for example, BLISS, Contact a Family and Disabled Living Foundation plus information available from local authorities on local organisations that may be able to help. This information can be found here:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/baby-special-intensive-care.aspx Public Health England's Start4Life Information Service for Parents - a subscription email service for parents-to-be and parents of children aged up to five - includes guidance for parents of disabled children on the sources of support available, including financial assistance.

NHS England: Accountability

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the 10th Report of the Public Accounts Committee, Session 2016-17, HC397, what progress has been made on the recommendation that NHS England must improve the transparency of its decision making with respect to specialised services.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to ensure that NHS England's annual prioritisation process for determining investment in specialised services is subject to transparency requirements at the same level as those placed on NICE's health technology appraisal programme.

David Mowat: The Government has laid out its plans to improve transparency in Specialised Commissioning in its recent Treasury Minute in response to the 10th Report of the Public Accounts Committee, Session 2016-17, HC397.Details of its response can be found at the following address from page 53:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/565426/57448_Cm_9351_Treasury_Minutes_Accessible.pdf

Pharmacy: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on NHS winter planning for 2016-17 of changes in pharmacy funding in the period from December 2016 to April 2017.

David Mowat: Community pharmacy will continue to play an integral role in National Health Service planning for this winter. Building on last year’s successful introduction of the national Influenza Adult Vaccination Service delivered through community pharmacies, pharmacists are again providing ‘flu vaccinations to eligible patients in this ‘flu season. Over 747,500 vaccinations have been carried out so far this year – more than for the whole of the 2015-16 season. As part of our package of reform, we are helping community pharmacy to play a greater role. For example, we want community pharmacy to be seen as the first port of call for minor ailments, helping to reduce pressure on the rest of the system. This season’s Stay Well This Winter campaign points people to visit their pharmacist at the earliest signs of feeling unwell, and before their condition gets more serious, to prevent them ending up at their general practice or emergency care department. In addition, a new community pharmacy pilot service, the NHS urgent medicines supply advanced service, is being rolled out by NHS England this winter starting from December 2016 and running until the end of March 2018. The pilot service will see NHS111 referring requests for urgent medicines to a community pharmacy, where appropriate, relieving pressure on urgent and emergency care services by shifting this demand from general practitioner out of hours providers. This is being funded by the new Pharmacy Integration Fund and will be evaluated to inform future commissioning decisions.

Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the publication of final decisions on commissioning policies under NHS England's annual prioritisation process for determining investment in specialised services have been delayed.

David Mowat: NHS England set out its investment decisions for specialised services in July:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/07/spec-services-investment/ making it clear that some of these decisions were provisional and subject to the outcome of a judicial review on Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV. NHS England also gave further updates in August and November to ensure stakeholders were kept informed of progress and next steps. Following the outcome of its appeal NHS England is now rerunning the prioritisation process and expects to announce the results in the near future. Clinicians, on behalf of their patients, can continue to apply for funding for treatments and interventions being considered as part of the annual prioritisation round where there is clinically exceptional or clinically critical need. Further information on the decision making processes can be found here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/key-docs/

Care Quality Commission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 50498 on the Care Quality Commission, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the safeguards in place in the standard NHS contract to ensure rapid transfer of patient data to the relevant clinical commissioning group in the event of a sudden and unplanned cessation of operation of a contracted provider; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England holds formal responsibility for publishing the NHS Standard Contract, and reviews and consults on this annually to ensure that provisions remain appropriate for both providers and commissioners. NHS England advises that the 2016/17 NHS Standard Contract contains a range of provisions relevant to this Question which it considers to be robust and effective. If, in practice, there is a ‘sudden and unplanned cessation of services’, this will be grounds for suspension of those specific services, or termination of the entire contract, by the commissioner – and in this case the provisions of General Conditions 16-18 (covering suspension and termination and the consequences of each) would be expected to apply. These provisions require the provider to:- co-operate fully with the commissioner in ensuring continuity of service provision and a smooth transition to a successor provider, avoiding any inconvenience to or risk to patients; and- provide promptly all reasonable assistance and all information necessary to effect an orderly assumption of the service, without delay, by the successor provider.

Diabetes

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support clinical commissioning groups that need improvement or have the greatest need for improvement for diabetes care under the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England will work with health communities/clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in need of improvement against CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework indicators to mutually identify the nature of the change needed and the type of support required to achieve this. A key focus of improvement will be to support CCGs and providers to locally map their services against nationally recognised best practice diabetes pathways and to identify where local pathways need to change in order to improve outcomes. NHS England is developing plans for additional support to be available from 2017/18 onwards: - The NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2017-2019 included an announcement that NHS England intends to launch a major programme of investment in the treatment and care of people with diabetes, for which CCGs will be able to bid for additional funding of approximately £40 million per year, focused on the key areas of diabetes care where improvements in outcomes will be most beneficial. - A Diabetes CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework Independent Panel has been developed, chaired by the Chief Executive of Diabetes UK and includes panel members with a wide range of other diabetes clinical expertise. This will consider CCG positions in relation to the diabetes Improvement and Assessment Framework indicators and advise on actions to support improvement. - Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs). As part of supporting the development of STPs, a “How to” guide for diabetes has been issued which sets out advice the actions which CCGs can take to support improvements. - NHS England regional teams: NHS England has funded diabetes programme leads within each of the National Health Service regions to work with CCGs to support improvement.

Diabetes

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable he has set for publishing the next diabetes-specific ratings as part of the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework; and if he will publish that data on a quarterly basis.

Nicola Blackwood: As part of its statutory duty to perform an annual assessment of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), NHS England will publish its 2016/17 annual assessment of the six clinical priority areas within the CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework in July 2017, which include diabetes. All indicators that are available are updated as frequently as possible; the diabetes indicators are based on annual data.

Baby Care Units: Parents

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) access to overnight accommodation and (b) facilities in maternity and neonatal care units for parents of premature or sick babies; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Concerns about the availability of overnight accommodation were highlighted in a report by Bliss ‘Families kept apart: barriers to parents’ involvement in their baby’s hospital care’ (published September 2016). Along with NHS England, we are considering the recommendations of the report and continue to work closely with Bliss and others to improve neonatal services so that all premature and sick babies receive the best possible care. This Government is committed to improving maternity and neonatal care. In November 2015 the Secretary of State announced a a national ambition to halve the number of neonatal deaths, stillbirths, maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030. Investment has been made in training for staff, new safety equipment and facilities in hospitals for new families, including a £2.24 million capital fund to enable trusts to buy monitoring or training equipment to improve safety in their maternity services. On 17 October my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched the Safer Maternity Care action plan which sets out the next steps to achieve the ambition. The action plan sets out a number of new initiatives including an increase in funding for maternity safety training to support maternity services to drive improvements in safety and a new £250,000 Maternity Safety Innovation Fund to support development and implementation of improvements in maternity safety.

NHS: Administration

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of NHS England's budget is spent on (a) administration and (b) administering the internal market.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England’s budget is set out in the annual Financial Directions to NHS England, that accompany the NHS Mandate. The latest can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2016-to-2017NHS England allocates resources to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) who are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services for their local area.NHS England’s total Revenue Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) is £105,836 million. The Administration Expenditure limit for NHS England group including CCGs is £1,824 million. This equals 1.7% of the total NHS England Revenue DEL. Of this total NHS England centrally has an Administration Expenditure limit of £533 million for its functions.This is the full limit of administration costs across NHS England and CCGs. No further breakdown is available.

Warrington Hospital: Operating Theatres

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2016 to Question 49091, if he will take steps to ensure that an answer is sent from the Chair of Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to the hon. Member for Warrington North on operating theatre closures.

Mr Philip Dunne: A copy of the response from the Chief Executive of the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust dated 25 October 2016 has already been placed in the Library and a copy is attached.



PQ54455 letter
(PDF Document, 45.58 KB)

Mental Health Services: Expenditure

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his comments in the Times article, entitled Nine health secretaries attack government for failing mentally ill, published on 18 November 2016, that spending by clinical commissioning groups has increased by £693 million, what the evidential basis is for that increase; and over what time period that increase occurred.

Nicola Blackwood: The increase in mental health spending of £693 million, as reported in the Times article published on 18 November 2016, represents an increase in clinical commissioning groups (CCG) mental health spending between 2014/15 (£8.3 billion) and 2015/16 (£9.0 billion). As part of the 2016/17 planning round, NHS England added the objective of improving consistent reporting of mental health spend across CCGs.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish all supplier responses received to the infected blood scheme administrator services supplier questionnaire.

Nicola Blackwood: A procurement process is being run in line with the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) 2015. Potential suppliers were invited to respond to a voluntary Market Consultation Questionnaire during September and October this year. There is no obligation under the PCR 2015 to publish the supplier responses, and it would be inappropriate to do so while a procurement is ongoing.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital due to a respiratory condition in each age group in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) England in each year since 2009-10.

David Mowat: A count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory diseases' in Greater Manchester hospitals and for England, by age, from 2010-11 to 2015-16 is attached. Data before 2010-11 was not collected in the current format so cannot be directly compared.



PQ54489 respiratory diseases
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30.7 KB)

Circle Holdings

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the capability of Circle Holdings plc to provide musculoskeletal services in Greenwich on 1 December 2016 in advance of the Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group's impact assessment on the effect of privatising that service on other services; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to instruct the Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group to set aside its plans to privatise musculoskeletal services in Greenwich and to begin negotiations with existing NHS providers to achieve the efficiency savings and changes to the service which it is seeking to achieve; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: There has been no assessment or instruction by Ministers. The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service. Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group is an independent statutory organisation and is responsible for commissioning services for local people in order to ensure the best possible clinical outcomes at the best value to the taxpayer. The recent procurement of musculoskeletal prime contractor services was designed to secure these outcomes. We are informed by NHS England that Circle Holdings is Care Quality Commission registered, which is one of the required assessments for awarding of the contract. The bid that Circle made was assessed against an agreed set of criteria which had weightings, in accordance with standard NHS procurement process.

Eltham Community Hospital

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that Eltham Community Hospital beds are used for the rehabilitation of people leaving hospital.

David Mowat: This is a matter for the local National Health Service. We are advised by NHS England that the Eltham Community Hospital is currently used to provide rehabilitation to patients from Greenwich.

Parkinson's Disease: Drugs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents of medication errors involving hospital patients with Parkinson's disease resulting in (a) no, (b) low, (c) moderate and (d) severe harm were reported to the National Reporting and Learning System in each quarter of 2016 for which data is available; and which reporting organisation reported each such incident.

Mr Philip Dunne: A recent search of the National Reporting Learning System (NRLS) was carried out of all medication incidents reported to the NRLS between the dates 1 January 2016 and 30 September 2016. This search used key word searches most likely to identify the requested incidents. The search mechanism available does not allow us to confirm that the patients involved with these incidents have Parkinson’s disease but it was focused on medication incidents involving drugs commonly used in Parkinson’s. It is possible that there are additional relevant incidents. No incidents resulting in severe harm were identified by this search. The information requested is provided in the attached table.



Table PQ54635
(Word Document, 72.16 KB)

Meningitis: Vaccination

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential of rolling out the meningitis B vaccine to teenagers and young adults; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The Government is advised on all immunisation matters by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI reviewed the cost-effectiveness of a Meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination programme for adolescents and decided that it would not be cost-effective, unless the vaccine also reduced naso-pharyngeal (in the nose and throat) carriage. To answer this, the Department, in collaboration with the JCVI and Public Health England, has identified that preparatory research is needed to determine how best to assess the effects of the vaccine on MenB carriage in adolescents. The Department’s Policy Research Programme (PRP) is currently funding a preliminary study of the meningococcal strains carried by teenagers. The Government has committed to commission a study of the effect of MenB vaccination on carriage in that group, which will be funded through the PRP.

NHS: Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has paid towards VAT on pharmaceutical drugs in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Statins

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on statins in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The information requested is provided. The fall in costs over the period is largely due to patent expiry and the entry of cheaper generic medicines. Net ingredient cost (NIC) for statin prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England, 2010 to 2015, as defined by British National Formulary (BNF) section 2.12 Lipid regulating drugs 1, 2, 3YearNIC (£000’s)2010452,888.82011439,941.92012288,875.52013153.873.62014148,976.42015155,450.5Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system data provided by NHS DigitalNotes:1 NIC is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.2 Based on the BNF classification system prior to edition 70.3 All statins within BNF section 2.12 have been extracted: Atorvastatin, Cerivastatin, Fluvastatin Sodium, Pravastatin Sodium, Rosuvastatin Calcium, Simvastatin, Simvastatin and Ezetimibe.

Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of people accessing mental health services were misdiagnosed with the wrong mental health condition in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with vitamin B12 deficiency were misdiagnosed with a mental health condition as a result of their symptoms in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not held centrally.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2016 to Question 52821, what assessment he has made of the likely financial health of the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Every health and care system in England is producing a multi-year Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), showing how local services will evolve and become sustainable over the next five years – ultimately delivering the Five Year Forward View vision of better health, better patient care and improved National Health Service efficiency. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust is part of the Coventry and Warwickshire STP footprint, which aims to deliver a sustainable solution for services across the footprint, including those provided by the Trust, by 2021. The Coventry and Warwickshire STP will be published in due course. In addition, NHS Improvement will shortly be entering a planning process which will assess the Trust’s plans for the next two years.

NHS: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2016 to Question 52821, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number and proportion of NHS trusts in financial deficit over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Over the last four years, provider income has grown at approximately 3% on average, whereas expenditure has grown at approximately 4% on average. These disproportionate spending increases are a direct consequence of increasing demand for health services as a result of the ageing and growing population; new drugs and treatments; and our determination to look after each and every National Health Service patient with the highest standards of safety and care. The NHS leadership bodies have set out their own plan for delivering financial sustainability for the NHS, in the Five Year Forward View (October 2014) and Strengthening Financial Performance and Accountability document (July 2016). Managing this increase in demand during this period was the key challenge identified in these plans. This Government is committed to reducing excessive agency spend. Price caps introduced in 2015 saved the NHS over £600 million in the first year of measures. Progress at the mid-year point is encouraging, but there is no room for complacency. That is why the system needs to stick to its strong financial plan, supported by our £10 billion investment and the series of measure set out to help hospitals become more efficient and reduce the use of expensive agency staff.

Roads: Safety

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse resulting from reduced NHS spending arising from predicted reductions in road casualties for 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is unable to provide a detailed estimate of savings from the predicted reductions in road casualties in 2017. The National Health Service has identified £22 billion of potential high level savings across the system over this parliament period to 2020-21, including savings related to hospital expenditure.

Women and Equalities

Employment: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to increase opportunities for work for older women in the light of the recent raising of the state pension age.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Work and Pensions will publish an employer-led national strategy to set out the direction of the fuller working lives agenda early next year. I will be working closely with Ministerial colleagues on this strategy.The number of older women (50-64) in work is at a record high, but we are committed to maximising women’s economic contribution at every stage of their career. Government recently announced the appointment of Business in the Community Age at Work leadership team as Business Champion for Older Workers. This team will spearhead Government’s work to support employers hiring and re-training older workers.Working through the Women’s Business Council, we are focussing on removing barriers for older women workers, supporting them to improve their skills and return to the workplace. Barclays, a Council member company, recently launched a toolkit to extend its apprenticeship programmes to older workers, allowing them to improve their skills whilst earning.We know that women still shoulder the burden of caring for both children and elderly relatives and so the £1.9m Carers in Employment project is exploring ways to support carers to maintain their paid employment alongside their caring responsibilities.